Whole New World
by Sam deLittle
Summary: Aladdin - Ben 10 Style! Prince Ben and Princess Gwen have a run-in with a street-rat, Kevin. Years later, with the help of a little magic, can Kevin find his way into the Princess' heart? Gwevin KxG Benlie BxJ
1. Arabian Nights

Hey everyone!

So yeah, today I got on a Disney kick -- listening to old Disney songs. "A Whole New World" came up, and I realized just how deliciously perfect _Aladdin_ is when compared to Gwen and Kevin. (_Beauty and the Beast _is up there too of course. These two are just so fairy-taleish!!) For all I know, someone could have totally already thought of this, but do I care? Puhlease. Originality? Pfffft...

I promise I'll be finishing Tall Tails soon! This fic is definitely _not_ replacing it. I just HAD to write this. (I just wrote this for around three hours straight -- it's consumed my soul.)

* * *

"Ben! Ben Tenny—"

"Will you keep quiet, dweeb?!" Gwen was cut off abruptly by Ben slamming a hand over his cousin's mouth. The two ten-year-olds were currently standing in the middle of Market Street, shoppers and bazaar owners milling around them, going about their business, not paying any attention to the two children. "You can't just go blabbing out my name! What if someone hears you?"

Gwen took Ben's hand off her mouth and adjusted her disguise: a plain brown peasant dress with a matching hood. Ben was dressed rather commonly too: beige pants, an oversized white shirt and a brown vest. The clothes had been easy enough to swipe from servants – and so far they had worked. The two of them blended in perfectly, and no one gave them more than a second glance. "I hope someone _does_ hear me and drags us back to the Palace!" she said, crossing her arms in front of her. "This is _ridiculous_! You're the Crowned Prince! You can't just go flitting around the city whenever you want! It's dangerous here!"

Ben's eyes narrowed as he stared at an old man carrying a large watermelon. "Oh yeah, I bet that guy's going to assassinate me any second. As soon as his back stops hurting."

"Ben!"

"Gwen, if you keep your mouth shut, we can go around unnoticed, okay?" Ben said, raising his left arm. His left wrist was all bandaged up, but he wasn't injured. Ben was hiding his Royal Insignia, his tattoo that signified his status as heir to the royal throne.

"You're asking for trouble, Ben!" Gwen insisted. "You're going to eat your words, just watch."

"Blah blah, not listening," Ben stuck out his tongue. "But hey, that gives me an idea!" he laughed, turning to his cousin. "I'm hungry, let's get something to eat!"

"Ben, are you even listening?!" Gwen asked as Ben walked away to look at the bazaars, thoroughly ignoring his cousin. "BEN!"

"I _told_ you to keep quiet!" Ben rasped. "C'mon Gwen – you can't be so uptight all the time, can you? Let's have some fun! That's the whole reason we came out here!"

"Correction: that's the whole reason _you_ came out here and dragged _me_ along!" Gwen snapped. "I was fine staying in the palace and reading."

"Uhhh yeah," Ben rolled his eyes. "That's the only thing to _do_ there. I want more excitement than "A History of Dirt" can give me."

Gwen narrowed her eyes, not appreciating the "A History of Dirt" comment. But Ben had already made his way down the street, looking for something to eat. Gwen sighed – her cousin may have been the Prince and next in line to be Sultan, but he was still a handful. She felt more like a baby-sitter than a Princess. She was sure the Sultan, their Grandfather Max, would be worried sick about them.

"Man, it's hot out here," Gwen sighed, moving to take off her hood. Ben stopped her.

"Don't! Your stupid red-head sticks out like a sore thumb!" Ben reminded her. Gwen sighed. It was true – nobody else in the kingdom had her red locks. Her hair color was better than any royal identification scroll. Princess Gwendolyn was known for her beautiful, exotic red hair. "C'mon, I found some tasty looking fruit."

"Fine," Gwen said, realizing that she was rather hungry. "Let's go."

Ben took his cousin to a fruit-seller that had a variety of delicious looking melons lined up in his stall. "Yummy, right? A lot better than that stuff Grandpa feeds us for dinner!" Without a second thought, Ben grabbed an apple from the stall and took a bite out of it, savoring the juice as it ran down his cheek.

"I hope you have money to pay for that."

Ben blinked and looked up at the fruit-seller, who was glowering over the small boy. Gwen blinked as well. "Umm…we have to pay?" she asked. "Paying" was foreign to the two. They'd never bought anything in their lives. Whenever they wanted food, they simply took it from the palace kitchens.

"Like…with money?" Ben asked, and the shop-keeper narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. With money. Now hand it over!" he barked, and Ben and Gwen both winced. Gwen grabbed Ben's arm.

"O-O-One moment!" she laughed, and then turned Ben around for a hushed pep-talk. "Ben, do you have any money?"

"Oh yeah, I've got plenty from my job as a street-sweeper," Ben muttered sarcastically. "No I don't have money, I'm the Prince doofus!"

"Well you should've brought some!"

"I didn't know I'd have to pay for stuff! And you're the braniac, why didn't you bring money?!"

"Well, you're just going to have to apologize and explain—"

"No way! First of all, he wouldn't believe me, and second of all, we'd get dragged back to the palace and we'd be in humongo-trouble."

"Well what are we gonna do—"

"My. Money. Now."

Gwen and Ben turned around to see the nasty shop-keeper had come out from behind his booth and were glaring down at the two. Both children's eyes were wide, and Gwen's teeth chattered. "Ummm…do you take credit?" Gwen asked.

"RUN!" Ben screamed, and the two sprinted away from the shop-keeper, forcing their way through the crowds, who parted ways as the two ran at top speed to escape the shop keeper.

"Come back here you brats!" the shop-keeper exclaimed, grabbing a sword from behind his stand and running after the two. The crowd gasped, as did Ben and Gwen when they looked back.

"Oh Allah!" Ben panted as he continued to run. "We're sooooo dead!"

"I'd rather be in trouble with Grandpa than dead!" Gwen said in between pants. "Ben—we should just—AAAAHHH!" Gwen screamed as she felt her arm being grabbed from behind. She spun her head around and to her terror, saw that the shop-keeper had caught up with her.

"If you won't pay, you're a thief!" he growled. "And do you know what we do to thieves here?!" He raised his sword above his head, and Gwen gasped. Ben dove forward, but knew he wouldn't make it in time to save his cousin.

Bonk!

The shop-keeper was suddenly hit in the head by an apple, seemingly thrown from nowhere. Gwen and Ben looked around, but they didn't have to search long.

"There. That makes up for it, doesn't it?"

Jumping down from a window awning and landing with inhuman grace, a peasant boy with long black hair and brown eyes currently stood in front of the three, a confident smirk on his face. Gwen surveyed the boy – he looked slightly older than her, with a hook nose and deep eyes the color of fertile soil. His pale skin was offset by a black vest and gray pants. He wore black wristbands that matched a tiny black hat on his head. He had bare, dirty feet, obviously from walking around on the dirt roads for so long.

"Who…who are you?" Gwen asked.

"I'm _so_ sorry about these two," the boy sighed, grabbing Ben around the neck and grinding his knuckles into the boy's scalp. "They're friends of mine – they're a little crazy," he whispered to the keeper.

"I'm not crazy--!"

"Play along if you wanna live," the boy rasped to Ben, and Ben fell silent. "Haven't eaten in days. But don't worry kids, Kevin'll take care of you."

"Kevin?" Gwen asked inquisitively, and Kevin sighed.

"Oh, she's so tragic – has an awful memory. Can't remember anything for longer than ten seconds!"

Gwen blinked and Kevin stared at her, smirking. She got the hint. "Hey, who are you?" she asked Kevin again. "And what am I doing here?" She looked around, eyes wide. "Hello, nice to meet you," she said to the shop-keeper, smiling widely, "have we met?"

"This one thinks he's a super-hero!" Kevin whispered to the shop-keeper, pointing at Ben. "Believes he's an alien or something."

Ben also caught onto the game, and got even more into than Gwen. "I am an alien! There's an invasion approaching the palace! I gotta transform and save the Sultan! GO FOURARMS!"

"Fourarms?" Kevin whispered to Ben. "Did you just think that up?"

"Hello, nice to meet you," Gwen said again to the shop-keeper. "Have we met?"

The shop-keeper sighed and released Gwen, obviously frustrated. "Take your crazy friends and go Street Rat! To tell the absolute truth, I'd rather see you a _skewered_ street rat…but I'll leave that to the Palace guards." Kevin frowned darkly at the shop-keeper who spat at his feet and then turned around to return to his shop.

"Thanks for saving us!" Ben said to Kevin.

"Sorry," Kevin muttered, and Ben and Gwen's eyes widened. "I don't do _anything_ for free."

* * *

"Get your fresh fruit!" the nasty shop-keeper from before yelled out to the bazaar-goers. Little did he know that three little "customers" were currently positioned on a roof directly above his shop.

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Gwen rasped to her two companions. "This is against the law!"

"I could always just hand you over to the guards as thieves," Kevin grinned, and Gwen frowned at him. "See it my way?"

"How can you do this?! The only reason you helped us was so we'd help you steal!" Gwen said, folding her arms. "I thought you did it out of the kindness of your heart!"

"Hah, that's a laugh," Kevin smirked at the girl, which only made her more frustrated. "Enough whining. If everything goes like I want, we'll _all_ eat tonight."

"Awesome, I am _so_ hungry!" Ben exclaimed, and Gwen narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"

"Okay, let's go!" Kevin jumped down from the roof and landed on the awning of the shop-keepers' stall. The shop-keeper looked up, but soon knew what had fallen onto his awning. Kevin poked his head over the edge and waved at the keeper. "Hey there! Don't mind if I do!" he laughed and grabbed a melon from the bazaar. The keeper let out a roar and grabbed his sword. He slashed at Kevin, who dodged and grabbed another melon before jumping off the awning and running off down the street. The keeper bounded after him, swinging his sword over his head.

"Let's go Gwen!" Ben said, and Gwen bit her lip.

"We can't jump down there! Do you know the probability of us breaking our legs or wor—" she didn't finish her sentence before her cousin had jumped off the roof and had landed safely on the awning. She sighed, closed her eyes, and jumped off the roof as well.

"See, that wasn't so bad, right?" Ben asked as Gwen shook. He dove over the edge of the awning and began to gather as much fruit as he could. Gwen did the same until both had huge armfuls of fruit. "Awesome!"

"What about Kevin?" Gwen asked, looking off to where Kevin had run away to.

"He's pretty tough," Ben said admirably. "I'm sure he'll be back soon—"

"So…not so crazy are you?"

Ben and Gwen turned around slowly to see none other than the very angry shop-keeper staring at them, eyes wide and livid. His teeth were gritted, and in one hand he gripped his sword. "Uhhh…" Ben muttered stupidly.

"What happened to Kevin?" Gwen rasped to her cousin.

"Your little friend got away!" the keeper growled. "But at least I got _two_ of the mangy street rats!" The keeper raised his hand to hit the two, but at that moment, Gwen decided that she had had enough.

She took one of the watermelons clutched in her hand and slammed it right in the face of the keeper. It brought apart, juice and seeds spilling all over the man's face, causing him to stagger backwards and fall over his stall, the watermelon shoved completely over his head. He struggled to get the watermelon off, staggering around and running into people as he did. Gwen and Ben both laughed uproariously before running off, fruit in arms. "Oh Allah!" Ben laughed, tears at the corners of his eyes. "Did you see the look on his face?! Oh wait – you couldn't cause he had a WATERMELON over his head!" When he stopped laughing, he turned to his cousin. "Didn't know you had it in you!"

"He was getting on my nerves," Gwen smiled coyly. "And I didn't do much – he was already a melon-head."

"Nice job out there."

Gwen and Ben stopped as they heard Kevin's voice. They looked in front of them to see Kevin smiling at them, his two stolen melons still in his arms. "I saw the whole thing! You guys handle yourselves pretty well."

"Why didn't you help us?" Gwen asked, frowning.

"I can't keep saving your guys' butts," Kevin shrugged. "If you can't take care of yourself, you're not going to survive these streets. I just gave you guys a crash course. And you both passed. Congrats."

Ben smiled, but Gwen frowned. She didn't like the fact that she was now an official street urchin. "Awesome," Ben smiled widely, walking up to Kevin. The two pounded fists, and Gwen rolled her eyes at the display of macho behavior. "So hey, wanna eat?"

"I'll take you back to my place," he told them. He looked over at Gwen. "Is her Highness coming?"

Gwen and Ben's eyes widened at Kevin. Kevin looked at the two of them, confused. "What?"

"W-what did you just say?" Gwen asked.

"I called you 'Your Highness'," Kevin repeated. "What, can't a little joke, Princess?"

Gwen and Ben relaxed, realizing that Kevin had merely been poking fun at Gwen, and was probably still oblivious to the two's actual identities. Gwen walked forward, and Kevin motioned for the two to follow him.

* * *

"Okay, just over here."

Kevin grabbed a plank of wood and used it as a pole-vault to clear the distance between two buildings. The two Tennyson cousins, now carrying sacks of fruit, watched the daring feet of the street rat. Ben's eyes widened, as did his smile, but Gwen simply rolled her emerald orbs. Ben grabbed another plank and Gwen frowned at him. "Hey! Don't do tha—"

But Ben had already run forward and copied Kevin's trick (albeit far less gracefully). He landed on the other side rather ungracefully. But Kevin's smile of approval made Ben feel his attempt had been nothing but a success. Kevin looked over at Gwen, and smirked before moving his plank, trying to make it into a bridge for her.

But before he could finish adjusting the plank, a blur of brown sailed over him, and when he turned around, he saw Gwen had landed perfectly after pole-vaulting herself over the side as Kevin and her cousin had done. She smirked at Kevin, whose eyes were wide with surprise. She lay down the piece of wood and pulled her sack of fruit over her shoulder before walking off.

Kevin's eyebrows raised, and he smiled after Gwen. She was definitely more interesting than he had given her credit for.

"This way," he instructed them, walking swiftly past Gwen and towards a pair of stairs that led up to what seemed to be an abandoned storehouse. The cousins followed Kevin up until they came to a ratty red curtain. Kevin pulled back the curtain and smiled at the two, motioning them inside. "It isn't much, but it's home."

Ben and Gwen walked inside and surveyed Kevin's home. Every piece of furniture was make-shift – old wooden boxes for chairs – candles half burned down, and a hammock strung up in the corner of the room.

"It's…nice," Gwen lied, trying not to be disgusted by the rather meager living arrangements.

"Well, the interior could use a bit of work," Kevin laughed, walking forward towards another ratty red curtain. "But it's got an awesome view," he pulled back the curtain and Ben and Gwen gasped to see the palace in front of them, all lit up and looking more gorgeous than either of them had ever seen it. "Yeah, that's about as close as any of us will ever get to the palace," Kevin said before walking off towards the sacks of fruit they had left near the entrance. Ben and Gwen gave each other knowing looks. "But wouldn't it be cool to live there? You'd get to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, you'd be rich, and have everything you'd ever need."

"It isn't that cool," Ben said suddenly, and Kevin frowned at him. "I mean, think about it. Sure you'd get to live in a big house but…you'd never get to do anything fun! What we did today – we'd never get to do that if we were kids living in the palace." Ben blinked and then turned to Kevin, scratching the back of his head, "Which of course we're not!"

"To each his own," Kevin shrugged, tossing Ben and Gwen apples. "C'mon, let's eat. You guys got a place to stay?"

"Umm…"

"Yes, we do," Gwen said matter-of-factly. "After we eat, we have to go."

"But I'm tired!" Ben countered, and Gwen narrowed her eyes at him. "I think we should stay the night."

"If we stay the night, he'll want us to help him steal again!" Gwen whispered to Ben. She obviously hadn't whispered softly enough, as Kevin had heard her.

"Ha! You know me pretty well," Kevin smirked. "You're right – if I let you stay here, you're gonna have to help me get breakfast. No such thing as a free lunch, kiddos."

"That's fine!"

"That is _so_ not fine!" Gwen crossed her arms and glared at her cousin. "I know you think this all really cool, but it's not! We have to go home soon!"

"I know that," Ben frowned. "But not tonight! You can go back by yourself if you want. I'm staying here with Kevin."

"Are you two brother and sister or something?" Kevin asked, biting into a melon and chewing. "You sure fight like it!"

"Cousins," Ben said. "And even _that_ is too much to bear sometimes…"

"What about you Kevin?" Gwen asked, sitting down and biting very daintily into her apple. Kevin didn't answer her as she continued to take very lady-like bites. He smirked at her, and she frowned at him. "What?"

"You're probably hungry…what do I look like, the Prince?" he asked sarcastically. "You can eat a little less prissy than that."

Gwen didn't tell him that the Prince himself ate like a hog. But as she looked at her apple, she realized that she was insanely hungry. She took a huge bite of the apple, devouring it. Ben blinked, unable to believe his cousin was actually eating so vivaciously.

"See!" Kevin laughed. "Letting loose ain't so bad, is it Princess?"

"I suppose not," Gwen smirked, wiping a bit of juice off her chin as she finished the apple. She reached for another piece of fruit. "But you didn't answer my question. Do you have any family Kevin?"

Kevin frowned. "Nah. Been alone as long as I can remember."

"That must be tough," Gwen murmured, putting down her melon.

"Please, spare me," snapped Kevin. "I've had enough false pity."

"It isn't false," Gwen frowned at him. "Do you I'm insincere or something?"

"Everyone's insincere," Kevin said matter-of-factly. "I've been pushed around on the streets long enough to know it."

"It's true that…people can be cruel," Gwen agreed. "But I think you distrust people before you even meet them. And I hate to be blunt, but you're not exactly trust-worthy yourself."

Kevin frowned at Gwen darkly, and for a second, Gwen thought he might lash out at her. But strangely enough, Kevin's face eased into a smile. "You're right about that. But that's the way I roll – gotta look out for myself. Even _you're_ just a means to an end, Princess."

Gwen frowned and looked down at her melon before returning to devouring it. What Kevin had said had strangely caused her pain in her chest. Sure, it was a rude and mean-spirited thing to say. But just the notion of Kevin viewing her as a _tool_ upset her. Not that she assumed he actually cared about her either! I mean, she had just met him that afternoon…

Gwen looked up at Kevin, who was now talking to Ben about their "super awesome" escapade that afternoon. She watched with great intent as his dark eyes lit up, and his face contorted into that handsome smirk. Gwen's cheeks tinged pink, and she immediately hated herself for thinking so fondly of the self-serving street rat. After all, he was rude, conniving, a thief…

But he certainly wasn't hard on the eyes either.

"Hmm? What's wrong? You want more?" Kevin asked Gwen, who blinked and spun around.

"N-No! I'm fine!" she stammered, biting her melon. She calmed her red face, assuring herself that it was a passing interest in a bad-boy that would soon dissolve away. It was normal for girls her age to have crushes, wasn't it? She was sure, as soon as she returned to her real life at the palace, she would forget all about Kevin.

"You two can sleep on the floor," Kevin said. "Find a soft spot." Gwen looked at the stone ground. There certainly were no "soft spots".

"Awesome!" Ben laughed, excited that he wouldn't be sleeping in a soft bed with linen sheets for once in his life. He grabbed an old piece of cloth from a corner and used it as a musty blanket. Gwen, however, simply stared at the floor.

"Shouldn't the girl get the best bed?" she asked, crossing her arms. "That's the gentlemanly thing to do."

"Sorry, Princess, I'm no gentleman," Kevin smirked before hopping into his hammock. "There's plenty of floor." He took off his hat and put it on a box next to the hammock before closing his eyes to drift off to sleep. Gwen narrowed her eyes at him, her past affection disappearing rather rapidly at the prospect of being forced to sleep on a stony floor.

Unable to even bring herself to lay down, Gwen moved over to the hole in Kevin's wall that served as a window. Pulling up the curtain, Gwen looked out at the palace with fond eyes. She missed her soft bed, her jasmine-scented baths, everything that came along with royalty.

Then again, she had to admit, as she glanced over at her snoring cousin, that today had certainly been an adventure. She'd had more excitement today than she'd had her whole life. She wasn't quite sure if she appreciated it yet.

She sat on the broken wall and looked out at the palace longingly some more. In the morning, she would take Ben back to the palace before Kevin would force them to steal again. She was sure, by tomorrow, Grandpa Max would have sent out all the palace guards to search the city for the two of them. They would certainly be in, as Ben put it, "humongo-trouble" when they got back.

But at the same time, she couldn't help but smile as she remembered all the fond times she'd had with Ben and Kevin. She'd never met another boy her age, let alone a street-rat. But Kevin was surprisingly similar to Ben. The two were fast friends, and she could tell why – they were strikingly similar. Ben seemed to admire Kevin for his dangerous lifestyle. Gwen couldn't blame him.

"If you're gonna sit there until I give you the hammock, it's not gonna work. It's my hammock."

Gwen looked behind her to see Kevin standing over her. He sat next to her and looked out at the palace with her. "I-I don't want the hammock," Gwen said sternly, crossing her arms in front of her. "You can keep your sweaty hammock! It probably smells like you, anyway!"

"True, I don't bathe all that often," Kevin laughed, raising his arms above his head as to give Gwen a whiff of his sweaty armpits. Gwen plugged her nose and shoved Kevin playfully. "Then again, you probably don't either. Us street kids just smell the same. After awhile, you just don't notice it anymore."

A sharp intake of breath hit Gwen as Kevin shoved his hook nose into her face, smelling her. Her face was bright red, she was sure of it. Kevin pulled back, frowning. "Hey, you smell nice. Like flowers or something…"

"I-I use Jasmine perfume," she said uncomfortably. "I-I mean…it was my mother's! Yeah, the only rich thing she ever owned. She gave it to me before she…passed away." Gwen stopped mid-way in her lie, realizing that she had just revealed a truth within the falsity. Her mother and father had both died along with Ben's parents in a great battle six years ago. Their fiefs had been attacked, and only Ben and Gwen had survived. Even her older brother Ken had been lost. Their Grandfather, grief-stricken at the loss of both his sons and heirs, took in the two after vanquishing the enemy forces. Gwen's mother, Lily, had indeed used Jasmine perfume everyday. Gwen wore it to remind herself of her mother. She felt tears coming to her eyes and tried to hold them back.

"Hey…there are lots of orphans around here," Kevin said. "No point in crying about it."

"I'm not crying!" Gwen snapped, betraying her tears.

"You look like it," Kevin said, taking his thumb and wiping a tear off Gwen's face. She turned away from him, wanting to leave, but Kevin grabbed her arm. "Don't be like that, Princess."

"Stop calling me that!" Gwen snapped. "I have a name!"

"What is it?" Kevin asked, and Gwen stopped. Should she dare tell him? Princess Gwendolyn was known very well throughout the city…

"…I'm…Jasmine," she spat out, blushing red. Was that really the best she could think of? Her perfume was the only thing that came to mind.

"…You're kidding? Jasmine uses jasmine perfume?" Kevin laughed, and Gwen frowned, still blushing. "Maybe your Mom put on so much of the stuff—"

"Okay, I get it! It's really funny," Gwen sighed, bringing her knees to her chest. "Can we change the subject? I don't like talking about my parents."

"Sorry," Kevin shrugged. "Okay. Let's talk about the palace."

"You must like it a lot," Gwen smiled.

"I like the idea of living there," Kevin admitted. "I mean, don't get me wrong – I steal, and I'm good at it. But…to have a bunch of servants waiting on me hand and foot…that's the life."

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," Gwen said, and then caught herself. "I mean, it sounds like it at least."

"Hey, maybe we'll get there together," Kevin suggested, smirking at Gwen. Gwen blinked as Kevin suddenly put his hand on hers. "Yeah! Prince Kevin and his Princess Jasmine! What do you say to that?"

Gwen blushed, "L-Li-Like I'd ever marry you!"

"Don't get your hood in a bunch," Kevin laughed, slapping Gwen on the back. "I was just kidding. Like I'm ever gonna be a Prince. I'll be lucky if they let me shine the Prince's boots."

Gwen smirked at the thought. Ben really looked up to Kevin – he'd probably want to shine _his_ boots. Still…the thought of Kevin as a Prince…and her his Princess was a pleasant thought. Her cheeks went pink. "I dunno," Gwen said softly, and Kevin turned to look at her. "Anything's possible. Maybe you'll marry the Princess."

"Nah," Kevin sighed. "She's probably a total bore. All prissy and stuff. I hate girls like that."

Gwen smiled at Kevin. "So what kinda girls do you like?"

"A girl who's loud, and knows how to fight," Kevin told her, "and can take care of herself." He looked over at Gwen, and if Gwen didn't know better, she'd say he was closer than before. He was smiling at her, and Gwen felt her heart beating a million miles a second. If her eyes didn't deceive her, his cheeks were a little pink as well. "I like girls who slam fruit on shop-keepers' heads, and girls who can jump from one building to another…" Gwen felt her eyelids drooping as Kevin moved in closer, his voice lowering to a whisper, "and I especially like girls who wear Jasmine perfume…"

"There he is!"

Gwen and Kevin broke apart and turned around to see none other than the shop-keeper from earlier that day standing in Kevin's doorway, pointing at him, enraged. Behind the keeper were at least four or five royal guards. Gwen and Kevin saw, to their amusement, that the shop-keeper's face seemed shiny and had some watermelon seeds stuck to it. "That's the little _street rat_ that stole from my cart! And his two little thieving friends!"

Ben blinked, waking up slowly. He looked up at the shop-keeper and the guards and gasped. Jumping up and running to Kevin and Gwen, Ben whispered to his companions, "How'd they find us?"

"I'm a bit notorious around here," Kevin mumbled. "One of my 'friends' probably ratted me out."

"Get them! Get them all!"

"C'mon, run!" Kevin shouted standing in front of the two of them. "I'll deal with these guys!"

"We can't leave you!" Gwen shouted, Ben also looking concerned.

"You'll just slow me down!" Kevin said harshly, but Gwen could tell that it was all an act. He was protecting her. "Just get out of here. Jump out the window, you'll be fi—ARRGH!" Kevin screamed as one of the guards grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

"Kevin!" Gwen shouted, and she and Ben ran forward, only to have Ben be grabbed by another guard. "Stop it!" she shouted to the guards as they continued to twist the boys' arms. "Stop it right now!"

"You think we're going to listen to some little street mouse?" one of the guards laughed cruelly. "Who do you think you are? The Princess?"

Gwen narrowed her eyes, and then reached for her hood. Ben's eyes widened, as if to say "don't do it", but it was too late. Gwen threw back her hood and her short red hair with her signature hairclip became revealed. "I _am_ the Princess!"

The guards dropped their swords almost as quickly as they dropped their jaws. Ben groaned, and Kevin's eyes widened until they looked like they might be too big for his face. "Release them by order of the Princess!"

Ben sighed and decided that being secretive was of no use anymore. "And by order of the Prince!" he shouted, and the guard holding him immediately released the boy. Ben undid the bandages on his left arm and they soon fell away to reveal the black and green royal symbol. The guards immediately gasped and fell to their knees in the presence of the two. Kevin looked at the two, still unable to process the situation.

"Prince Benjamin! Princess Gwendolyn!" the head guard said, exasperated. "Please forgive us – if we had only known—"

"Let this boy go now!" Gwen ordered. "And strike his offenses from his record! He's not to be bothered."

"Yeah!" Ben agreed. "He saved our butts today! Is that how you treat a savior of royalty?"

"I'm sorry your highnesses," the head guard said. "But the law is the law."

"Well we stole too! So you'll have to lock us up as well if you intend to arrest this boy!"

The guards looked at each other, not at all keen on the idea of locking up the Prince and Princess for stealing. They stood up. "The Sultan is worried about both of you. We'll excuse the boy's transgression if you come along with us."

"Right," Gwen nodded, looking at Kevin, who still looked confused. She frowned sadly, a silent apology for lying to him. Ben also frowned at Kevin, upset that he was being separated from his friend. The two were led away by the guards, the shop-keeper too stunned to do anything but follow them silently, a dumb expression on his face.

Gwen looked back over his shoulder at Kevin. Her brow furrowed, and she mouthed 'I'm sorry' to him.

Kevin watched them go. He wanted to reach out to them, to tell them to come back, but he didn't have the voice. He was too stunned – he had spent the day stealing with royalty. And then he had forced the Prince and Princess of the kingdom to sleep on the _floor_. The way he'd talked about the palace…Ben and Gwen probably thought he was an idiot. And Kevin couldn't blame them. He felt like an idiot.

But when he finally brought his lips together, he remembered his intimate moment with Gwen just minutes before. Everything made sense now…and to think that he almost kissed the Princess made his stomach do leaps. She was even prettier with her hair out of that hood…

Kevin sighed, sitting down in his hammock, trying to collect his thoughts. "Great," he said to himself. "You're a real idiot, Kevin – you've fallen for the one girl you can never get." Kevin stared out at the brightly lit palace from his window, looking at it more longingly than ever.

* * *

"I cannot _believe_ you two did this! Do you know how worried I was?!"

Ben and Gwen currently knelt in front of their Grandfather, the Sultan of the kingdom. Their eyes were glued to the floor as he paced back and forth, lecturing them. "The streets are dangerous! You two have to remain in the palace – you're royalty!"

"Just because I'm royalty doesn't mean I have to be bored," Ben said sarcastically and Grandpa looked down at him disapprovingly.

"Go to your room Benjamin!" Grandpa Max ordered, and Ben stood up and stomped off towards his room, crossing his arms. "Gwen, I thought you'd keep Ben in line."

"I'm sorry Grandpa," Gwen said rather passively. She wasn't even focused on her Grandpa's lecturing. All she could think about was Kevin, and the look he'd had on his face when she and Ben had been dragged away by the palace guards. She realized that that was probably the last time she would ever see the boy.

"You're to stay in the palace," her Grandpa instructed. "I'm just looking out for you. After losing your parents…I…I can't bare the thought of losing you two," he said, leaning down to hug Gwen. Gwen sighed, and nodded.

"I know Grandpa," Gwen stood up. "I'm going to sleep now…"

Gwen trudged towards her bedroom slowly, her mind still heavy with the image of Kevin. She reached her room and opened her doors to reveal her familiar comfortable bed and sweet-smelling bath, probably drawn for her hours before. She lay down on the bed, sinking into its softness. It was a lot nicer than Kevin's floor, and yet she longed to be back in his hovel, sitting next to him and laughing about the palace and their fantasies for the future.

Tears escaped the corners of her eyes and she buried her face into her pillow.

She could almost feel Kevin's thumb wiping her tears away. _"No use in crying about it,"_ he'd say to her, that same confident smirk on his face.

But Gwen couldn't help it – she continued to cry into her pillow until exhaustion overtook her and she fell dead asleep.

* * *

Taaaaddaaa! First chapter completed!

Writing these guys as little ones again was so much fun. And childhood crushes are even sweeter to write. I think I may have made Kevin a little too nice. XD But making him a sociopath would be pretty hard to write a cute romance around. He acts more like he does in AF, if you ask me.

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, Ben and Julie will come up later, I promise. Next chapter will jump five years ahead! So please review if you enjoyed! :)


	2. Be Our Guest

Hey everyone! Wow! I'm so flattered at the warm reception this story's gotten! I'm so glad you're all enjoying this, cause I definitely am.

As you read along, you'll definitely notice some differences between the Disney version and this one. You probably noticed differences right from the beginning. XD I'm trying to keep it fresh and interesting, while still remaining true to the original story.

So please continue to review! I just love it when you guys leave a little note for me! Makes my day! :D

* * *

_Five years later…_

"ARRGHHH!!"

Sultan-to-be Ben Tennyson heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the palace gardens. He stood up rather quickly, his hat falling over his eyes. Once he adjusted it, he could see yet another suitor running screaming from the gardens, his pants currently on fire. Ben sighed as he watched the pompous Prince fall to the ground and rolled around, trying to put out the fire.

Grabbing a planter full of water, Ben walked over to the Prince and threw the water over him, extinguishing the fire. "It's okay," Ben sighed, "It's not a real fi--."

"Your little _wench_ of a cousin almost KILLED me!" the Prince screamed, standing up and shrieking at Ben.

"I said it's not a real fire!" Ben shouted. "Just an illusion! Gwen's good at that sort of stuff—"

"I'll tell you what she's _not_ good at!" the prince said nastily, adjusting his hat before walking towards the door, "Finding someone who would be willing to marry her!"

Ben winced as the Prince slammed the palace doors. With a great sigh and a roll of his eyes, Ben made his way towards the Palace gardens.

"Gwen!" Ben called to his cousin as he entered the gardens. "I can't believe I'm the one who has to do the lecturing…"

In the past five years, Ben had been forced to mature rather rapidly. Instead of the impetuous ten-year-old boy he had once been, Ben was now a well-mannered young man, and the future Sultan. Yes, ever since their Grandfather had passed away only five months prior, Ben had been groomed to take the throne on his sixteenth birthday, which was arriving in mere weeks.

Even though he wasn't officially the Sultan yet, he wore the Sultan's attire: a white and green jeweled blouse with white long pants and the customary white sultan's hat with a long green feather extending from it. The royal symbol served as the buckle on his green sash. His white cape billowed out from behind him as he roamed the gardens in search of his cousin, the Princess Gwendolyn.

"Gweeeennn!"

"I'm right here," Gwen's voice said sullenly, coming out from behind the fountain that served as the centerpiece of the garden. She looked rather unhappy, her arms crossed in front of her. She wore customary princess attire: a dark blue belly-shirt with long chiffon sleeves along with matching pants. She had on an ornate dark blue headdress that offset her red locks rather nicely. "Why did you even let him see me? He was a total jerk! Started asking me about how many _other wives_ I would tolerate."

"Gwen, they can't _all_ be jerks!" Ben exclaimed, frustrated. "You're just being difficult! And did you have to use your fire illusion?! Scared him half to death!"

"Only half-way? Too bad," Gwen said bitterly, sitting down on the fountain. "I don't like all this suitor-stuff Ben. All these princes are pompous and rude and totally full of themselves. And you know it!"

Ben looked at his cousin and frowned apologetically. He took off his hat and sat down next to her, staring at the symbol of Sultan-hood that he currently held in his hands. "I know…but you know the law—"

"I have to be married by my next birthday," Gwen sighed. "But—"

"I know," Ben nodded. "I have to get married too if I want to accept the position of Sultan."

"It's not fair!" Gwen exclaimed, standing up and pacing around in front of Ben. "Why should we have to get married to people we don't even care about! People we don't even know!"

"We're royalty," Ben said, staring into the jewel that adorned his hat. "That's the way things are…"

Gwen stopped her angered pacing and looked at her saddened cousin. She suddenly felt very selfish. She knew that Ben was afraid about becoming Sultan – who wouldn't be? He was only fifteen, and had never even dreamed that this day would come so quickly. The wild, vivacious Ben of their childhoods had disappeared under a heavy load of responsibility.

"I'm sorry," Gwen murmured, sitting down next to Ben. "I'll try harder…to give the suitors more of a chance."

"Thanks," Ben smiled at his cousin. "I'll do the same. I haven't really found any of the Princesses all that interesting either, to tell you the truth."

"Yeah, but at least you didn't set them on fire," Gwen laughed, snapping her fingers and conjuring up a little flame illusion. Ben laughed along with her, a sound that was music to his worried cousin's ears.

Ben stopped laughing and put back on his hat, "I wish Grandpa were here. He'd know what to do."

Gwen stood up and put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "I know you miss him. I miss him too." She put her arms around Ben and the two of them hugged each other. Gwen knew she had to be there for Ben now more than ever, and if that meant seeing a bunch of pompous suitors, she'd do it.

"Thanks cuz," Ben said, pulling back from the hug. "But hey, you never know – maybe you'll actually like one of them!"

"Yeah," Gwen agreed. "There's gotta be someone out there for me, right?"

* * *

"STOP! THIEF!"

"Woah, woah, that's harsh language there!" the cheeky thief laughed, tucking the loaves of bread underneath his arm before dodging a palace guard's sword. His black locks, still long and untidy, breezed over his face, brushing his hook nose as he somersaulted away from another sword swipe. The youth jumped onto a crate and subsequently onto a window awning.

Kevin hadn't exactly stayed out of trouble for the past five years. He was still a street rat, stealing for meals and causing general havoc on the street. He had certainly grown up physically, if not mentally – he was tall and muscular, not lanky like he had been as a boy. At the ripe age of sixteen, Kevin's attire had pretty much stayed the same: Street Rat Chic was practical, if not stylish.

"Street rat!" the guards called after Kevin as he jumped from awning to awning.

"Sorry guys!" Kevin taunted. "Better luck next time!"

With that, Kevin bounded up onto a roof of a building and sat down to eat, the guards frantically searching for where the thief had gone. He let out a deep laugh before taking a huge bite out of one of the bread loaves he had stolen. He put the other one down only to have it snatched up by another hand.

"Hey that's—" he looked up and sighed, "Oh hey Julie."

Standing in front of Kevin was none other than Julie, a fellow street urchin who had come to the city around three years prior. In that time, she and Kevin had grown rather close, Kevin acting as a big brother to the younger street girl.

"Thanks for the lunch, Kevin," Julie said, giggling and sitting down next to the taller boy to eat the bread. "I'll have to pay you back sometime." She brushed her short black hair out of her dark eyes before devouring the bread.

"Yeah, yeah," Kevin groaned, a little upset that half of his take had been stolen from him. To his surprise, Julie broke the bread in half and continued to eat one half, keeping another in her lap. "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving this half to Mimi and Franco," she said, referring to two tiny street kids that she and Kevin were familiar with. Kevin rolled his eyes – that was Julie's problem. She was way too charitable for her own good. "They haven't eaten anything this good in awhile."

She glared at Kevin, who frowned at her before eating the rest of the bread in his hand, savoring every bite. "Sorry – do I look like a charity worker to you?"

"Man, Kevin, don't you care about anyone but yourself?!" Julie asked incredulously, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

"Nope."

"Whatever," Julie sighed, stomping off with her bread. "Have fun sitting all alone."

Suddenly, Julie and Kevin were brought out of their argument by the blowing of trumpets and the sound of hooves coming down the street. "Make way! Make way for Prince Edwin and Princess Kai!"

Kevin and Julie peered over the roof of the house they sat on to get a better look at the commotion. In the street, at least forty camels carrying various amounts of gold paraded down the road, leading a caravan. Sitting on a throne in the caravan was a stuffy looking Prince wearing crimson and gold attire. Next to him was a girl wearing a gorgeous crimson and gold gown that offset her dark skin and dark hair nicely. They both waved at the crowds in the city who were "oooing" and "aaahing" over the Prince and Princess.

"Those two must be suitors for Prince Ben and Princess Gwen," Julie observed, and Kevin's eyes narrowed at Prince Edwin in particular. "Look at all that gold! It's blinding!"

"What's really blinding is that Prince's face," Kevin remarked sourly. "Maybe the camel should try courting the Princess. He'd have a better shot."

"Oh please," Julie frowned, "the Prince is obviously handsome." Kevin didn't meet her eyes and continued to stare at the two of them as they waved daintily to the swarming crowds. "And that Princess is beautiful."

"Yeah, all royalty is," Kevin said bitterly, stepping away from the parade and moving to leave Julie.

"Wouldn't it be cool if that were us?" Julie asked, stopping Kevin in his tracks. "Prince Kevin and Princess Julie, riding up on an elephant or something!"

"An elephant?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Do you know how bad they smell?"

"Almost as bad as you," Julie countered, waving her hand in front of her nose. Kevin rolled his eyes and turned around again to leave Julie. "Hey, where you going?"

"Back home, where else?" Kevin asked. "There's nowhere else to go."

"Wait up for me," Julie said, jogging to catch up with Kevin. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind a house-guest."

"I dunno, the place is a mess," another sarcastic comment rolled from Kevin's mouth, and Julie giggled, all too used to his attitude.

With that, the two of them walked off towards Kevin's home on the rooftops, the din of the parade still lingering in their ears.

* * *

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed off the stony walls of the Palace dungeons. A spiral staircase led down to a dark room lit only by a large red cauldron. The walls of the room glowed eerily with the red color, reminiscent of blood seeping down the stones.

The owner of the footsteps finally reached the low-lit room and walked in, a little apprehensive of the man and girl currently standing before the cauldron.

"Hex."

The speaker stepped forward into the light, revealing himself. He was an older man, in his sixties, with dark hair that was turned pepper gray with age. He had heavy wrinkles on his forehead, and his eyes were small and dark, full of intent and purpose.

"Yes Phil?" the cloaked man that stood in front of the cauldron asked. He held a staff in his right hand – next to him was a girl with long white hair held in a ponytail. She was wearing red, black, and gold robes much like that man next to her, and she was the first to turn from he cauldron. Her wide eyes bored into Phil, a confident smirk on her face and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Underneath her robe, she wore a red belly-shirt and pants along with black shoes that had upturned toes. Her entire demeanor radiated a smugness that didn't sit well with Phil.

"What do you want?" she asked harshly. "The Little Sultan ask you to get us?"

"Watch your mouth Charmcaster," Phil said curtly. "I'm here for your Uncle."

Slowly, the man with the staff turned to face Phil. His face was gaunt – painted over to resemble a skeleton's, and his head was covered with a black and red hood. His eyes were sullen, and the staff in his hand was clutched with a threatening tightness. "You don't often venture down here. Your business, Phil?"

"The Sultan wishes to see his Grand Vizier," Phil spat out bitterly.

"Get Morningstar to see the brat," Hex said curtly, turning back to his cauldron.

"I've already seen him," Phil told Hex. "There are two new suitors arriving -- a Prince and a Princess."

Hex turned on his heel immediately and walked briskly past Phil, his niece following him. "What's the rush?!" Phil called out, following the two.

"You should have told me it concerned the Prince's marriage earlier," Hex told Phil darkly, using his staff as a walking stick as the three of them ascended the staircase. "Of course _both_ Viziers should be present for such an…" he paused, savoring his words, "auspicious occasion."

"I don't see why it's so auspicious," Phil remarked bitterly. "The kid's voice was cracking two years ago. If Max hadn't died then—"

"I know you and the former Sultan were rather close," Hex interrupted Phil. "His private attendant – even his friend perhaps?" A nasty smirk appeared over Hex's face as he looked at Charmcaster, who got the hint rather quickly.

"Yeah, best friends," she agreed. "So why didn't he make you Sultan? I mean, the Prince isn't even old enough!"

Phil's eyes grew dark. It wasn't as if the concern hadn't crossed his mind before. Ever since Sultan Max had died, he had found himself as the personal attendant to an impetuous teenager who was more trouble than he was worth. But what really got under Phil's skin was how the former Sultan had given Phil _no_ power in the court. After years of servitude, Phil was nothing more than an attendant, now serving a boy who had no idea what it took to be a great leader.

"Charmcaster, where are your manners?" Hex chided his niece rather insincerely.

"I'm sorry Uncle," Charmcaster apologized with the same amount of insincerity as her Uncle, even smirking at him knowingly. "I'll hold my tongue."

On that note, the three of them reached the door that led to the main floor of the palace. Hex reached for the doorknob, only to have the door swing open in front of him. Phil, Charmcaster, and Hex all looked up to see a rather attractive young blonde man staring at them with a rather congenial smile on his face. But his blue eyes, almost artificial in their beauty, stared right through them – his smile was as false as Charmcaster's former apology.

"Mike," Phil said, moving forward to meet the other Vizier. Mike Morningstar, the other royal advisor, was currently dressed in dark brown robes with orange and golden trim. On his hands were brown fingerless gloves, and his shoes were brown and adorned with orange and gold embroidery. "I told you to wait for us in the main hall."

"I hate waiting," Mike said, that same smile on his face. "And it's been so long since I've seen Hex – well…I thought it might be a good idea for both advisers to actually _speak_ to one another once in awhile."

"Hey there Mike," Charmcaster waved flirtatiously, and Mike smiled at her, making her smirk back at him. Hex was not amused by this display of hormones.

"I'm not a babysitter," Hex said testily, walking past Phil to look Mike in the eye. Mike didn't flinch. "I have better things to do than look after you, Morningstar."

"Believe me Hex," Mike said confidently, "nothing would delight me more than to see only _one_ Vizier in this palace."

Hex responded to the comment with a dark stare and the two continued to look one another in the eye. Finally, Mike blinked and turned on his heel to walk down towards the entrance hall. "You're jumping to conclusions, Hex. I have no problem with you. In fact," Mike turned to stare at the red and gold clad advisor, "I think we could do a lot if we just worked together." Hex frowned at the blond young man. Mike held his handsome smile before turning around and walking down the hall. "Prince Benjamin and Princess Gwendolyn want us in the entrance hall to welcome the latest suitors," Mike said over his shoulder. "We shouldn't be late."

"Of course not," Hex remarked bitterly, walking forwards at a quick pace as to catch up with Morningstar. "After all, I'm _very_ interested in advising the Prince about his upcoming marriage."

"And I'm very interested in advising the Princess," Mike said, and Charmcaster frowned, obviously displeased by this comment. "I'm glad that having two of us actually pays off once in awhile."

"Don't be coy Morningstar, it doesn't suit you, and it revolts me," Hex snapped. "You've had your eye on the Princess ever since you arrived at the Palace."

"Well," Mike shrugged. "The Princess is a beautiful woman."

"If you like that type," Charmcaster said, earning a look from Mike that made her look off to the side.

"If you wish to run after a pretty girl, be my guest," said Hex curtly. "I have much _bigger_ ideas and plans."

"You would."

"You would what?" a voice asked, and Mike and Hex both looked down the hallway to see none other than their future ruler, Ben, looking at them.

"Nothing, sire," Hex sighed before falling to his knees. Phil, Mike, and Charmcaster followed suit as Ben walked up to them. "You required our assistance?"

"I just got word that two new suitors are on their way right now," Ben told them. "I need you advisors to greet them in the main hall and…I don't know – advise us!"

"With all due respect Your Highness, the last suitor I advised as a good match for the Princess Gwendolyn ended up on fire," Hex remarked darkly, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps if young Morningstar were to handle the Princess's suitor…"

"Great idea!" Ben agreed. "Hex, you'll be with me, Mike can be with Gwen. Oh, and Phil, could you get the royal menagerie ready for me? And the Princess wants to meet with her suitor out in the garden again."

Phil frowned, trying not to grit his teeth with frustration. "Your wish is my command…_your Highness_."

"Okay, everyone! Entrance hall time!" Ben said, clapping his hands and running off towards the entrance hall. The viziers and Phil all sighed, rather annoyed.

"He treats this as though it were a sporting event," Hex remarked bitterly. Suddenly, Mike put his hand on Hex's shoulder, causing the skull-faced vizier to turn and face him.

"Get through today," Mike said, half-encouraging, half-conniving. "And I'll show you something that'll make all of this worth-while."

With that, Mike walked back Hex, following Ben into the entrance hall. Hex and Charmcaster both looked after Mike, intrigued. Finally, Hex motioned Charmcaster forward, and the two of them followed the others into the entrance hall. Phil left to prepare the menagerie and garden, as Ben had commanded. His bitter grimace was still firmly etched onto his face.

Meanwhile in the entrance hall, Ben had just scurried in, Mike, Hex, and Charmcaster at his tail. Gwen was already waiting for them both, sitting in her seat, an ornate pillow below the throne of the Sultan. "Where were you?" she asked Ben as he scampered up to the throne, his hat falling down in front of his eyes. "They'll be here any second!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Ben apologized before throwing himself in the throne and adjusting his hat. He caught his breath and tried to make himself look dignified. "Okay, ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Gwen sighed. "But I swear, if they bring camels with—"

"Gold!"

The entrance hall doors threw themselves open as a whole horde of guards pushed them open to make way from the vast amount of camels carrying pounds and pounds of riches. Gwen and Ben were both taken aback by the show, far more elaborate than any of the previous suitors. Suddenly, their eyes were drawn to the Prince and Princess riding on the caravan.

"On behalf of the great Prince Edwin and the Princess Kai, we bring you forty camels all with gold treasures!" an attendant announced, stepping forward and bowing profusely to Ben and Gwen before motioning to the livestock.

Ben and Gwen blinked, and Gwen leaned over to Ben. "What are we going to do with all those treasures?"

"Forget the treasures, what the heck are we supposed to do with the camels?"

"Princess Gwendolyn!" Gwen's attention was directed back towards the caravan, where Prince Edwin had just stood up to address her. "You're just as beautiful as I had heard."

"I promise you, it's exaggerated," Gwen said modestly as both Edwin and Kai descended the caravan. Ben and Gwen rose from their thrones to meet their respective suitors.

"Not a chance," Edwin assured her. "I only invest in the most reliable information gatherers." He took her hand and kissed it, but Gwen was still on the "invest" comment.

"You must be Princess Kai," Ben said, a little nervous. Kai was certainly beautiful – one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen. "I'm the Prince. You already know that," he laughed, realizing how stupid it had been to introduce himself as "the prince", "What I mean -- I mean – I'm Ben." He stuttered over his words before taking her hand and kissing it gently.

"Are you two related?" Gwen asked Kai and Edwin.

"Yes," Edwin nodded. "Kai is my half-sister – we share the same father, but our mothers are his two favorite wives."

"Oh, you're a fan of multiple wives?" Gwen asked dryly, realizing she might have another stinker in her presence.

"Not really," Edwin said, and Gwen's mood lightened considerably. "It isn't economically efficient to care for a variety of wives and concubines you know."

"Economically…efficient?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"W-well, we should probably get out—I mean, get going!" Ben said, rubbing his arm nervously. "I-I've got the menagerie ready for us, if you'd like to see it! I really like birds, actually."

"I love birds too!" Kai smiled.

"Oh, me too!" Ben said, soon realizing what he had said and blushing profusely. Kai frowned at him, and Ben's eyes went to the floor.

"Where will you be taking me today Princess?" Edwin asked.

"The gardens are my favorite place in the whole palace," Gwen said, taking Edwin's arm. Ben saw this act of affection and immediately perked up, excited that his cousin might have actually found someone she liked. But Gwen was simply trying to be supportive and cooperative. Edwin had neither said nor done anything to make her want to spend an hour with him, let alone the rest of her life. "Let's go there."

"I suppose," Edwin agreed, shrugging. "But indoor gardens are more practical. You can control the climate better and you don't get bombarded by nasty sunlight."

"A little sun would be good for you!" Gwen insisted. "And who's ever heard of an indoor garden anyway?"

"I have three back at my palace. I have them organized by—"

"Well we might not organize our plants, but they're still beautiful," Gwen cut him off, not wanting to hear Edwin's indoor garden hierarchy. "Let's go." With that, she pulled Edwin off towards the gardens – he seemed a little reluctant to go, but followed her anyway.

"Shall we go too Princess?" Ben asked, still insanely nervous.

"Sure."

"Right then!" Ben nodded. "Lead the way!"

Kai blinked, and Ben once again turned bright red. "I-I mean…_I'll_ lead the way!" Kai frowned at him, but took his arm anyway and the two walked off towards the menagerie, Ben still a little shaken. Hex, Charmcaster, and Mike all watched them go off in their respective directions.

"Well, the Prince sure is a smooth operator," Charmcaster remarked sarcastically. "I don't think you should be worried Uncle."

"What's this?" Mike asked, feigning ignorance. "You don't wish for the Prince to be married? Why not Hex?"

"Don't play me Morningstar," Hex narrowed his eyes at Mike, clutching his staff.

"I don't play games, Hex," Mike responded curtly, that same confident smirk on his handsome face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check in on the Princess." With that, Mike turned on his heel and walked away from Hex and his niece.

"Impetuous whelp," Hex muttered darkly. "What's he up to?"

* * *

"I think culture's really important."

"Yeah!" Ben agreed as Kai and he looked at the many exotic birds in the menagerie. "I mean, I try to uphold our culture as much as possible!"

"Really?" Kai asked, turning to face Ben. "Because your architecture and décor really sorta reminds me of a lot of different places. Your kingdom doesn't have a distinct cultural history, does it?"

"Well, we branched off from…another kingdom," Ben said, feeling very stupid at that moment for forgetting his kingdom's history. "Way back, like, a thousand years ago! Who can remember that far back anyway? Someone who spends waaaay too much time in history books, right?" Ben laughed, trying to make a joke, but Kai didn't look amused.

"I know our Kingdom's entire history dating back nearly 1500 years," Kai responded, crossing her arms. "I think it's important for a ruler to know their kingdom's history."

"Right!" Ben agreed, blushing again. "I-I was just joking."

"Really, do you have _any_ traditions here?" Kai asked, looking at a particularly pretty bird.

"Well we have the New Year's festival every year!" Ben remarked, happy that he could show off some knowledge for Kai. "And a summer solstice celebration where the palace is illuminated by—"

"The New Year's festival is probably just an adaptation of Kersecht's," Kai interrupted, "and as for the Summer Solstice – well even early, early European tribes did that. I mean _unique_ traditions."

"Umm…"

"Like in my kingdom, the tenth full moon of the year is celebrated with a giant feast and a traditional dance," Kai explained, looking very happy that she was imparting her knowledge onto Ben. "There's also legends of werewolves that are told every year in an interpretive dance piece."

"Do you dance Princess?" Ben asked, wanting desperately to get off the topic of cultural knowledge.

"Yeah, a lot," Kai nodded, smiling. "I lead the dance every Tenth Moon Festival."

"That's cool," said Ben, trying to feign enthusiasm. He wasn't really interested in dancing all that much. "I like playing games outside—"

"Cultural dancing is not a game," Kai said sternly.

"I-I know! I meant that I really like…cultural exercise too," Ben remarked, throwing in the word "cultural" as a passing thought. "My favorite game is Goal Post Ball! You have to kick a ball between two goal posts in order to win."

Kai blinked. "…it sounds rather easy."

"O-Oh, well, I forgot to mention," Ben blushed again, realizing that his explanation of Goal Post Ball had been rather lack-luster, "there's an opponent that's trying to stop you, so you have to maneuver around them. A-And you can't touch the ball with your hands! And if it goes out of bounds—"

"What do you do after you kick in the ball?"

"You…do it again!" Ben smiled.

"Sounds a little boring," Kai remarked, raising her eyebrows. "And how is this 'cultural' again?"

Ben sighed – Kai was getting less and less beautiful by the second. He remember promising Gwen that he would try to be more enthusiastic about the Princesses, but Kai was just so difficult to talk to. She wasn't really interested in Ben at all.

"Want to look at our parrot collection?"

If Gwen was sticking it out with her suitor, he'd have to do the same.

* * *

"Of course, our kingdom can afford such a lavish festival every year," Edwin said, sipping at a cup filled with fresh water as he and Gwen sat outside in the garden. Gwen was trying to listen intently to Edwin, but she had grown steadily more and more bored over the past half-an-hour or so. "We're the richest kingdom of the seven deserts, did you know that?"

"You mentioned it already," Gwen said dryly, leaning her head against her hand.

"Oh, I did? Sorry about that. What about you Princess?"

"Well, I like martial arts a lot," Gwen said, perking up at the fact that she would get to talk about herself. "A master came from the East and taught me some basics—"

"That's very interesting," Edwin interrupted, "I could hire that Master to come back and teach you full time if you'd like."

"W-well that's nice of you, but he went back home—"

"I'm sure I could persuade him," Edwin smiled at her. "A lavish room in my royal palace and riches beyond his dreams would be incentive enough—"

"I don't think so," Gwen frowned. "He's really dedicated to his training, and he's not really—"

"I won't take no for an answer," Edwin smiled at Gwen. "After all, I just want to please you."

Gwen forced a smile. Edwin wasn't a bad guy – he really did want to make Gwen happy. But offering to buy her things wasn't swaying Gwen. She didn't care how much money Edwin had. "That's sweet," Gwen continued to smile, "I'm also into illusions. Magic tricks I guess."

"…oh," Edwin said, frowning a bit. "That's interesting."

"I have a book of tricks that I really love," Gwen told him, referring to her "spell book". "My Grandfather got it for me when he went on a far-away trip and—"

"I would love to get you some more," Edwin interrupted her again, offering her yet another gift. "I'm sure I can get more of these…books…somewhere else."

"Well, that's sweet, but I'm fine with my book," she said, a little embarrassed at Edwin's offer.

"Why only one?" Edwin asked, blinking.

"Sometimes having one of something is nice," Gwen said softly. "It makes it special…"

"Well I don't see why," Edwin shrugged. "I have at least four elephants, forty camels, sixty sets of robes—"

"But you only have one father," Gwen reasoned with him, and Edwin paused. "And he's special, right? More special than your forty camels."

"I suppose you have a point," Edwin agreed, rubbing his chin. "But a person and a book are two different things."

"Don't you have a special possession?" Gwen asked curiously.

Edwin paused. "…not really."

Gwen sighed, holding her head. She knew that she had promised Ben that she would give the Princes more of a chance, but Edwin and she definitely had no chemistry. She wasn't sure exactly how this could work out.

"Princess."

Gwen looked up to see none other than Grand Vizier Mike Morningstar coming towards the two of them. Gwen smiled widely – this was the deliverance she had been asking for. "I'm sorry to interrupt," Mike said, bowing to the two, "but Phil is ready to show Prince Edwin his accommodations for the night. He's waiting for you and Princess Kai in the main hall."

"Well," Edwin said, standing up rather quickly. Gwen realized that he must have been feeling a bit awkward as well. "Can't keep him waiting. I'll be back soon, Princess." He bowed to her before walking off, leaving Mike and Gwen alone. Mike sat down and looked at Gwen, smiling handsomely at her.

"Thank you," Gwen sighed. "That wasn't going well."

"I could tell," Mike smiled. "As your advisor, let me give you a piece of advice."

"What's that?"

"Forty camels is always a bad sign," he joked, and Gwen laughed. She really appreciated having another adviser besides Hex around. Hex had scared her ever since she was a child, but he had served their Grandfather well in his time. Only in the last year of his life had her Grandpa brought Mike into the palace. He was known throughout the kingdom for his wisdom and abilities, and although his appointment had angered Hex, he had been nothing but an asset for the kingdom. "I don't think you're interested."

"I'm not," Gwen sighed, putting her head in her hands. "He's just way too obsessed with money. I mean, don't get me wrong, he seems nice enough but…"

"But he thinks he can buy you," Mike reasoned, and Gwen nodded.

"Exactly."

"You want someone who's honest," Mike told her, and Gwen blinked. Mike was right on the money. "A man who treats you as an equal, but loves you as a woman all the same. Someone who's not afraid to stand up for you and the things you hold dear. Someone…with a dangerous streak perhaps?" He shot her another killer smile, and Gwen found herself blushing under his gaze. How did he know all that?

"Y-You're not the youngest Grand Vizier in our kingdom's history for nothing," Gwen sighed in awe. "Now could you just get to finding someone like that for me?" she asked playfully, and Mike smiled.

"It's too bad," he said, standing up to walk out of the garden.

"What's too bad?" Gwen asked, and Mike turned around to face her.

"That you have to marry a Prince," he responded before turning around once again and walking out of the gardens. Gwen's face turned as red as her hair – had Mike just insinuated he wanted to marry her?

She had never thought of the vizier that way. Sure, he was handsome, but his regal demeanor didn't interest her. Not to mention his mysterious air was something that confused her at times. But as Gwen sat thinking on the royal vizier and his rather unmasked attempt at her heart, she realized the real reason she wasn't interested in Mike, or any other suitor for that matter.

"_A girl who's loud, and knows how to fight," Kevin told her, "and can take care of herself." He looked over at Gwen, and if Gwen didn't know better, she'd say he was closer than before. He was smiling at her, and Gwen felt her heart beating a million miles a second. If her eyes didn't deceive her, his cheeks were a little pink as well. "I like girls who slam fruit on shop-keepers' heads, and girls who can jump from one building to another…" Gwen felt her eyelids drooping as Kevin moved in closer, his voice lowering to a whisper, "and I especially like girls who wear Jasmine perfume…"_

Her cheeks burned red as she remembered that night she had stared out at the palace with Kevin. His face had become clouded over the past five years since she had seen him. She hadn't left the palace since that incident, but her memories of that day still tugged at her heart-strings. Her theory that her affection for Kevin would disappear once she got back to the palace turned out to be rather false. Even to this day, more than five years later, her heart still beat for the dangerous street thief who had stolen her heart on a day of adventure.

But if Kevin didn't hate her for lying to him, he had surely forgotten about her. She was a passing interest…and once she had dropped out of his life, she was sure that Kevin had found something more important to focus on. After all, he was still on the streets, probably living off stealing.

The last thing on his mind was a Princess from five years ago.

* * *

"Kevin? You okay?"

Kevin broke his focus on the palace to look over at Julie. The two of them were currently in his house, Julie talking about various things while Kevin stared out at the palace intently, mumbling responses every now and then. "I'm fine," he responded.

"You don't look fine," Julie remarked, standing up and walking over to him. "You've been acting weird since we saw that Prince and Princess in the parade."

Kevin frowned, trying to focus his thoughts. He hadn't told anyone about the incident with Ben and Gwen even five years later. The mischievous day he'd spent with the royal cousins had become a thing of his memory. He could barely remember their faces, and he was sure that they had changed in the half a decade that had passed. A lot had changed.

But something definitely hadn't changed: his feelings for the beautiful Princess.

He hated to admit it, but he was hung up on that red-haired beauty. His first love had stuck with him, frustrating him more often than not. He'd tried to break free of it, but just the memory of their playful banter as children brought a warm feeling to his chest. She had treated him like a human being, like a friend. She had cared about him, enough to tell him the truth.

"_It's true that…people can be cruel," Gwen agreed. "But I think you distrust people before you even meet them. And I hate to be blunt, but you're not exactly trust-worthy yourself."_

Those words had remained engrained in his brain. While at the time, he'd shrugged them off and responded with a hurtful and nasty remark, he'd slowly realized how right she had been. Julie was evidence that he had changed.

"Hello? Kevin?"

"Sorry," Kevin shook his head. "It's nothing…"

"Why do you always moon at the palace?" Julie asked, sitting next to him.

"Doesn't every homeless street rat wish he lived in the palace?" Kevin asked, a lack of insincerity in his voice.

"I guess," Julie shrugged. "But you look at it differently, I can tell. You look almost sad whenever you stare at it."

Kevin stared silently at the palace. Gwen was almost sixteen, he was sure of it. That's why all these suitors were showing up. The law commanded that she had to be married by her sixteenth birthday, so hundreds of suitors were being thrust upon her daily. His eyes narrowed – when she did get married, he was sure the ceremony would be a public event for the entire kingdom. Would he have to watch the girl of his dreams get married to someone else? Or worse – what if her stuffy Prince husband took her off to his kingdom and never brought her back? She'd be gone forever, far off in some remote kingdom in one of the Allah-forsaken seven deserts.

But what could he do? He wasn't a prince, and the law stated that she could only marry royalty. He wouldn't even be able to get _near_ the palace as he was now. But if he could just see her again…

"Kevin?"

"If I tell you something, promise you won't call me crazy," Kevin said suddenly, and Julie frowned before nodding. "Okay. Five years ago, I met the Princess and the Prince and they stole fruit with me."

Julie blinked. "…Was that bread bad or something?"

"I'm not lying! Or delusional!" Kevin snapped. "It really happened! They snuck out of the palace in disguise and met up with me…and…well, I sorta…"

"Sorta what?" Julie asked.

"I guess, the Princess of the Kingdom was my first crush," he admitted, blushing furiously and looking insanely uncomfortable. Julie's mouth fell open slightly, only making Kevin feel more self-conscious. His tough-guy shell was being beat with a proverbial mace. "And she…she liked me too I think."

"A-are you being serious?" Julie asked, almost unable to believe it.

"Dead serious," Kevin told her, looking her straight in the eye. "I never really got over her. And now she's getting married to someone else and I can't do anything about it. It just kinda bothers me."

"You're serious," Julie finally said, talking slowly, as if waiting for Kevin to say "fooled you!" any second. Kevin nodded, and Julie suddenly smiled. "Cool."

"Cool?" Kevin asked incredulously.

"You're in love with the Princess?" Julie asked, not addressing Kevin's tone.

"N-No!" Kevin said quickly, blushing bright red. "I-I mean…it's not like I'm all ga-ga for her or anything!"

"You watch the palace all day," Julie pointed out, "and you're still into her after five years. You're pretty ga-ga. And that's okay," she assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Kevin sighed, "Well there's nothing I can do about it. I should probably just forget the whole thing. She's probably all into the camel prince by now."

* * *

"I'm not all that into Edwin," Gwen announced to Ben as they sat in his room, lying on his bed and relating their respective dates to each other. "He's just…really into buying stuff."

"Kai makes me feel like an idiot," Ben sighed. "Is that what love feels like?"

"I don't think so," Gwen smiled playfully. "Can we both agree to keep looking?"

"Yeah," Ben nodded. "But hey, at least we both gave it a try, right?"

"Right," Gwen agreed. "…hey Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"You remember Kevin right?"

"Sure," Ben nodded, smiling. "Man, that was a fun day, wasn't it? Wonder what's happened to him."

"Me too," Gwen said softly, staring up at the ceiling of Ben's royal chamber. She blinked rapidly, suddenly feeling very emotional. Ben didn't notice, and the two lay in silence. "I miss Grandpa…" she said. "This is all…way too hard."

"I know," Ben nodded, turning over to face his cousin. "But you know I'm with you."

"Same here," Gwen agreed. "Ben, you're going to make a fantastic sultan. I just know it."

Ben smiled at his cousin, a smile which she returned. "I'd better start learning some cultural dances if I want to be a _really_ great Sultan."

"Huh?"

* * *

"Did you successfully deter the Prince from Princess Kai?"

"I didn't need to," Hex remarked sourly to Mike, who had just walked into Hex's dungeon chamber. Hex was once again leaning over a cauldron, Charmcaster standing with him, paying far more attention to Mike than her Uncle was. "The Princess deterred him herself."

"Good news for you," Mike smirked, walking into the eerie red light of the room. He had a book under his arm, a rather heavy and dusty tome. "After all, if the Prince doesn't marry, he can't become sultan."

Hex frowned, and for the first time since Mike had walked in, turned to face him. "Why should such a thing matter to me?"

"Because," Mike said, his confidence never waning. "If he doesn't become Sultan, you're next in line."

Hex frowned, clutching his stick even more fiercely. "It's an archaic law, but it's still there," Mike said, walking forward to become eye-level with Hex. "And I bet you can't wait until the Prince and Princess turn sixteen. If he hasn't decided on a bride by then, you're the new ruler of the kingdom."

"Do you intend to inform that little brat?" Hex snarled. "I won't let you – I've had enough of watching that sniveling little child sit in the sultan's throne! The kingdom belongs to _me_! And it shall be mine!" he shouted, his eyes glowing yellows and his staff pulsating. "And neither you, nor anyone else will get in my way!"

"I don't intend to get in your way," Mike assured Hex. "We have similar goals. You want the Prince not to get married, and I want the Princess not to get married. Well, not to get married to anyone other than me."

Charmcaster frowned at that, crossing her arms, but Hex simply stared at Mike. "You want to be the Prince?"

"Vizier doesn't suit me," Mike narrowed his eyes and his lips broke out into a cruel smile. "I want more – I want royal status, Hex. So you see, we can help each other."

"I don't see how," Hex snapped. "It's up to you to woo the Princess."

"Hex, wouldn't you prefer to see the Prince out of the way?" Mike asked, and Hex raised an painted eyebrow. "In fact, how would you like the entire kingdom under your thumb? The entire world?"

"What are you getting at?"

Mike took the book that was under his arm and opened it up to a marked page. On it was an ancient looking poem, faded with age, the pages crumbling. "This poem speaks of an ancient magic buried deep within the desert," Mike said, flipping the page to reveal an illustration of what seemed to be a golden lamp. "A magical lamp with unimaginable powers."

"Such a thing exists?" Hex asked.

"It's buried deep within the cave of wonders," Mike explained. "And only those with deep magical powers can uncover it…"

Hex frowned at the book. "How powerful is this lamp?"

"It can grant any wish," Mike explained. "With a single wish, you could be the Sultan. And with a single wish, I could be the Princess' husband. If we had that lamp, we'd be unstoppable."

Hex paused, looking Mike once over. He then looked to the book, and smirked evilly before retreating to his cauldron. "Bring me the book!" he snapped, and Charmcaster ran and collected the tome for her uncle. Hex looked at the page, and studied the words. "As I thought…an incantation."

Mike leaned against the wall smiling at his handiwork. Hex's magical powers were necessary for the finding of the Cave of Wonders. With Mike's knowledge and Hex's magic, the lamp would soon be theirs.

Hex became to chant the incantation, stirring his staff in the cauldron, turning it a misty purple that shone brilliantly throughout the room. Mike walked over the cauldron as Hex continued to recite the words of the book.

"Reveal to me the Cave of Wonders!" Hex shouted, his eyes glowing yellow again. He slammed his staff down in the cauldron, causing smoke to rise and begin to form. Right in front of them, a cave that resembled a tiger's head began to form, its jaws wide open, its entire head make of sand, its eyes glowing brightly. "There it is…" Hex rasped gleefully, his eyes glowing with the prospect of ancient magic. "You were right Morningstar!"

"Heed this!"

A deep voice erupted from the Cave of Wonders, shocking all three of them as they watched the illusion. "Only one may enter into my hallowed cavern!" The tiger's head spoke to them, its large teeth gnashing as it delivered its warning. "No one may enter except the diamond in the rough…"

Suddenly, the cave disappeared, the smoke that once made it dispersing throughout the room. Charmcaster held her arms as the cold smoke blew around them. "Brrr…what did it mean by 'the diamond in the rough'?"

"I'm not sure," Mike frowned, looking through the book that Hex held in his hand.

"Foolishness," Hex snarled, snapping the book shut and throwing it back into Mike's arms. "We go to the cave tomorrow evening!"

"Not so fast," Mike said. "We don't know what'll happen if one of us enters the cave. We should find someone else."

Hex frowned, but realized Mike was correct. "Agreed. But who?"

"Hey there, his high and mighty Prince wishes to see you both."

Mike and Hex turned around to see none other than Phil standing in the door to Hex's dungeon, staring at them with frustrated eyes. Hex and Mike's eyes met, and they both smiled dangerously.

"Of course Phil, but first we wanted to talk about something very important with you," Mike said.

"What? You two are talking now?" Phil asked bitterly, and Hex smile, his eyes glowing slightly yellow.

"Oh yes," Hex smirked, his skeletal face paint stretching over his gaunt face. "Morningstar and I are seeing things quite the same these days."

* * *

Yaaaaaaaay! Chapter 2 is here! I hope you all enjoyed it.

Julie hasn't been in a lot of episodes, so I'm having trouble giving her a really solid character, but I kinda settled on the "quirky beauty" type (since she's totally cool with Ben being an alien superhero. XD) She strikes me as a smart, down to earth girl who knows how to handle herself.

As for Kevin and Gwen, I'm sorry that their interaction was close to nothing in this chapter. ;; But I promise that the fluff will come soon! Same thing for Benlie!

Speaking of Ben, I love how awkward Ben is with girls he likes. I tried to emulate his attitude in "Pier Pressure" while he was talking to Kai. I tried to not make Kai a bitch -- since she isn't. She's just way too caught up in her own interests. I see her as very closed-minded, and I tried to portray her as such.

Poor Edwin also got to be a one-time wonder. XD I love Edwin, and I tried to throw him five years into the future where he isn't a sullen brat anymore. I saw him as a people-person, like his Grandpa, but I kept his intense desire to show-off.

Someone guessed that Hex was going to be Jafar! Congrats! You were half-right! Both Mike and Hex are going to be the antagonists of this story, since Hex just frickin' LOOKS and ACTS like Jafar, and Mike is diabolically evil. Charmcaster will have an important role too, and her little twisted crush on Mike will become important later. (Speaking of which, this totally doesn't work, as Charmcaster was like sixteen in the original series and Mike is around seventeen in Alien Force. XD So...Charmcaster should be in her twenties right now...too old for Mike. 8D Yaaaay fanfiction and how I can totally manipulate things for my own devices!)

Sorry for killing Max. ;; I love him just as much as the next _Ben 10_ fan.

Please review! Chapter 3 will be INTENSE.


	3. You've Got a Friend in Me

Hey guys! I'm really sorry this took awhile...and I'm SO sorry "Tall Tails" is taking forever. I was on vacation for a week in Illinois and didn't have any access to my computer, so I'm behind on ALL my writing. Once again, so sorry.

Anyway, this chapter is VERY Benlie and may get into cheesy-land, so bare with me! I love every review! It's so sweet that you all take the time to tell me you liked the story! :) Enjoy!

* * *

"This way!"

Mike shouted to his comrades: Hex, Charmcaster, and Phil, and quickly kicked his horse to begin galloping towards their destination. Hex's staff was glowing a bright red, pointing towards where the Cave of Wonders lay – his eyes glowed golden once again, proof that his magical powers were at work.

Mike's white stallion led the way, Charmcaster's gray Arabian at his tail, with Phil and Hex's black horses held up the rear. The red light from Hex's staff became more and more concentrated until Mike could see where it ended. "We're almost there!" he announced, and the horses picked up speed.

Finally, the four sinister planners arrived at the spot where Hex's staff pointed. Hex's horse trotted forward, and Hex mumbled an incantation under his breath, his eyes glowing more fiercely than ever before. Phil and Charmcaster looked slightly afraid, while Mike had a firm smile on his face.

"Reveal to us the Cave of Wonders!" Hex shouted, and a golden light suddenly erupted from his staff and hit the sand full-force. A gale of sand billowed around the four, but it wasn't long before they all heard a distinct roaring.

Uncovering their eyes to peer through the sand-storm, the four conspirators gaped in awe as a tiger's head began to form from the sand, two glowing eyes burning with the power of Hex's magical blast. The tiger's mouth opened wide, creating a passage into the cave. Its sharp teeth bore down menacingly. It was unmistakably the same cave that the four had seen earlier in Hex's cauldron.

The blowing sand died down, and the four dismounted their horses. "Allah…" Phil breathed, staring at the cave.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Hex asked darkly, turning to Phil. "Get inside the cave and get us the lamp!"

"B-but—"

"There are three wishes Phil," Mike reminded him. "Hex can become Sultan, I can marry the Princess, and you can become the Sultan of your very own kingdom. We all get what we want."

"Wh-why can't you guys—?"

"I supplied the knowledge," Mike reminded him, "and Hex supplied the magic. If you don't do your part, you won't get a wish." Phil frowned at the impudent youth, but Mike was unshaken. "That's how it works."

"Fine!" Phil snarled, walking forward. "But I won't wish for a kingdom. I'll wish for that Prince brat to be dead as a doornail." He snarled visciously, thinking on the annoyingly naive Tennyson boy. "I'm not afraid of any cave—"

"_Who dares approach the Cave of Wonders?!_" the tiger's mouth suddenly shouted, and all four gasped in shock.

"It is I," Phil began, looking around awkwardly, as if he didn't know where to speak to, "Phil…a servant of the Sultan of—"

"_Heed this! Only one may enter here! He who is more than he appears…the diamond in the rough!_" The Cave finished its warning and remained still, as though it had never been alive at all.

"Well, that sounds like a dead-ringer for you!" Charmcaster shouted to Phil. "Go on inside!"

Phil frowned, determined not to be frightened by this strange mystical cave. He walked firmly towards the tiger's mouth and climbed inside.

He looked inside to see a set of stairs leading down into the cave. He lowered himself onto the first step, and looked around, as if waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he continued, stepping very carefully on the second step.

"_RAAARRRRRR!!"_

With a gigantic roar, the cave's mouth began to convulse and cry out, as if dissolving into rage. It thrashed around and began to dissolve back into sand. Mike, Hex, and Charmcaster all looked on in horror as Phil struggled to get out, but was trapped. He reached out his hand, screaming for help, but the sand captured him, falling down in giant mounds around him, burying him beneath. Suddenly, he disappeared all together as the sand overtook him and was reduced to nothing more than a large mound.

"Phil!" Charmcaster shouted, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. "What happened to him?"

"He was obviously less than worthy," Hex remarked. "Not a surprise."

"Well, at least we know what we're dealing with," Mike said simply, mounting his horse again. "We're going to need your magic again Hex – to locate this 'diamond in the rough'."

* * *

"We could sneak in over the Palace walls—"

"There are guards _everywhere_."

"You could write her a letter!"

"I can't write, remember?"

"I could write it for you—"

"How could I even get it to her?"

"Throw it over the palace walls?"

"That are only…forty feet tall?"

"Okay, so maybe not that. You could sneak in on the next Prince's caravan—"

"Julie, just drop it!" Kevin finally shouted as he sat with his friend back at his home. It was already nighttime, and for the past two days, Julie had been trying to convince Kevin to somehow seek out the Princess Gwen again. Kevin, however, hadn't responded positively. "I can't do anything about it!"

"You're just going to give up?" Julie frowned, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Yes, I'm giving up!" Kevin sighed, frustrated. "The law says she has to marry a Prince. She deserves a Prince." He looked at his hands. "If I went to her now, she'd laugh at me. 'Oh, you still like me after five years? How pathetic are you? Like I would ever actually consider marrying a thief like you!'."

"She wouldn't say that!" Julie insisted.

"Maybe not," Kevin frowned, punching the wall a bit. "But she'd think it! And who could blame her?! I'm no good, Julie!"

Julie frowned and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "That's not true. If people just stopped to look at you – they'd see you have a lot of worth."

Kevin frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. On one hand, he certainly didn't want Gwen to get married before he even got to see her again – but on the other hand, there really was nothing he could do. Would he be able to live with himself if he did nothing to reach out to Gwen?

"I know!" Julie's eyes suddenly lit up, and Kevin turned to her. "I've got it!"

"Got what?"

"I know how you're going to see the Princess again!" Julie exclaimed, obviously very excited. "I'll get arrested—"

"WHAT?!" Kevin bellowed. He definitely did not like where this was going.

"Just hear me out!" Julie insisted. "I'll hop the gate and steal something from the Palace grounds – get arrested – get taken to the palace dungeon and you can come and plead for mercy on me!"

"That's crazy!" Kevin shouted, standing up. "What if they don't listen to me?! You could get your head chopped off!"

"They won't do that," Julie crossed her arms. "I hear the rulers are very benevolent – I'm sure they'll—"

"You can't be sure of anything!" Kevin insisted. "You've had kooky plans before Julie, but this takes the cake! I'm not doing this!"

Julie frowned at Kevin as he walked back to his window and sat on the broken wall to stare at the palace some more. She rolled her eyes and blew a piece of hair out of her face before crossing her arms in front of her. "You're right. It was a stupid plan."

"Damn right I'm right."

"Well, it's already dark," Julie sighed. "I should get going home. Mimi and Franco probably want me to put them to bed."

"You want an extra blanket?" Kevin asked. "It's gonna be a cold night."

Julie paused, and then smiled, "Sure. If you can spare one." Kevin walked over to the corner of his hovel and tossed a dusty, torn brown blanket at Julie. She caught it and began to walk down the steps that led outside. "See you later Kevin!"

"Bye," Kevin mumbled before returning to his spot on the broken wall-window. He sighed, leaning back and staring at the palace, bright with lights shimmering off its golden steeples.

* * *

"Any luck?"

"I'm – working – on – it!" Hex said through gritted teeth as he spun his staff over his cauldron, throwing various colors of lights in the bubbling red liquid. Charmcaster was assisting him, muttering a few incantations at the other side of the cauldron. Nothing was really being accomplished other than changing the color of the liquid, and Mike was beginning to get frustrated.

It was very late at night, hours after the three had returned from their last attempt at the Cave of Wonders. They had spent those past few hours trying to conjure up a spell that would lead them to "the diamond in the rough" they so ardently needed to find.

Hex continued to mumble incantations over the cauldron, but the wisps of smoke told him nothing. Finally, in a frustrated cry, he splashed his staff into the cauldron, causing a bit of it to spill onto the floor. Charmcaster cried out and backed off as the liquid began to burn the stone floor of the dungeon.

"Blast it!" Hex shouted. "No matter what I try, I can't find him!"

"Calm down Hex," Mike said sternly, standing up and facing the sorcerer. "Focus – we need to find him."

"There's…only one more thing I can think of trying," Hex muttered, looking at staff. He walked over to the potion and motioned Charmcaster to come to him. She came, tentatively, and he grabbed her hand.

"Uncle! You're not—"

"I wouldn't stick my own niece's hand into a burning potion," Hex said nastily before plucking a diamond ring off Charmcaster's finger. "Well…not today at least. You've been quite useful."

Hex tossed the diamond into the potion and immediately began to chant an incantation. His eyes glowed that same eerie gold, as did his staff – and suddenly, the potion turned a misty white, with white smoke rising above it. In the white smoke, an image began to form, and all three gathered around it eagerly.

The image was of a young man, a commoner, sitting in what seemed to be a rather abysmal looking hovel. He had dark, disheveled hair and soil toned eyes, along with a muscular build and ratty clothing. "Yes, yes!" Hex cackled evilly. "There he is…the diamond in the rough!"

"How are we gonna get him to help us?" Charmcaster asked as the image began to deteriorate.

"Leave that to me," Mike said. "You've done your part – time to do my fair share. I'll find some way to uncover our diamond. But not tonight – I'm rather tired you see."

"Of course," Hex snarled, "you should get your beauty sleep. Heaven forbid you should loose your pretty face."

"Speaking of pretty face, you're looking kinda pale there Mike," Charmcaster observed. Mike smiled at her and took her hand in his own.

"Don't worry about me," he said, smiling and looking better already. "I just can't keep up with you two. Gotta get some rest." With that, he turned around and walked out of Hex's dungeon, leaving Charmcaster a little dreamy eyed and smiling.

"I wish you weren't so infatuated with the boy," Hex muttered.

"I am not!" Charmcaster said defiantly, putting her hands on her hips. "Puh-lease Uncle! And anyway – he's on our side now. So what's the point of disliking him so much?"

"True…he did lead us to the lamp," Hex smirked. "I suggest we both turn in for the night Charmcaster. We have a busy day tomorrow."

* * *

A figure struggled at the top of the large palace wall, trying to force his or her way over. With a feminine grunt, the figure forced herself over the wall and jumped down gracefully.

She looked around and adjusted the dusty brown covering over her face, fashioned from an old blanket. Only her eyes could be seen – she was obviously a thief.

She noticed some guards at the front gates of the palace, but they were half asleep and hadn't heard nor seen her. She tiptoed away from their line of vision, not wanting to be caught so easily.

The palace's landscaping was just as beautiful as the actual palace. Topiaries and flowers decorated every inch of the luscious landscape, and she felt the grass underneath her toes – a foreign sensation and so much more pleasant than the harsh feeling of dirt and sand.

A large tree with fruit caught her eye, and she patted her stomach, realizing how in the mood she was for a midnight snack. Grabbing a piece of fruit from one of the branches, she lowered her face covering and took a bite.

It was none other than Julie, who had completely disregarded Kevin's warning not to go through with her plan. Julie was headstrong and stubborn – she was helping Kevin whether Kevin wanted help or not. Not to mention the prospect of sneaking into the palace excited her.

She finished off the fruit and redid her disguise carefully. Continuing her silent spree across the grounds, she realized she was getting closer to the back of the palace. Gorgeous fountains began to pop up around her, and she realized that she was underneath some sort of balcony.

"G'night Ben."

Julie hid behind a tree at the sound of a voice, until she realized that it was coming from the room that the balcony led to. She came out from behind the tree, assured of her safety.

"G'night Gwen," another, male voice said. It was a nice voice – sweet and caring, nothing like Kevin's brash and deep voice. Julie found herself slightly drawn to the voice, and she stepped forward ever so slightly to get a better view of the high balcony.

Suddenly, a figure emerged onto the balcony, and Julie gasped, frozen in place, unable to move. She looked up and realized the figure was a young man, obviously the owner of the voice from before – Ben. Ben? Prince Ben?

Her eyes focused in on the Prince as he came to the edge of the balcony, dressed in his white night attire, looking quite princely. He stared up at the stars, and Julie couldn't help but notice that his shirt was unfastened, revealing his nicely built chest and abdomen. He wasn't burly like Kevin – he was lithe and muscular, with the kind of strength she was sure could lift her. Her cheeks burned a little bit – surely she would be beheaded on the spot for staring at the Prince like this.

But his face…well…that drew her attention too. He had a gentle face, with (as far as she could tell) wide green eyes. His brown hair was combed neatly, but looked a bit tousled in the back, as if he had just been lying down. He was very handsome, Julie had to admit that. She guessed Kevin was right – all royalty are beautiful.

She knew she should move. After all, he could look her way any second and spot her. But then again, wasn't that her intention? To be spotted? But at the same time…

She wanted to look at him a bit longer.

* * *

Ben stared out at the stars, his mind racing with questions and thoughts. He and Gwen had met again tonight – their nightly talks before bed were really the only things keeping him sane. After spending yet another _painful_ day with Edwin and Kai, the two would be happy to see the two go the next morning. Still, their joint birthday loomed ever closer, with still no suitor chosen for either of them.

If Grandpa Max hadn't died, Ben knew he would've had more time to find a girl for him. Now, everything seemed like it was being fast-forwarded, and he had no control over anything. But soon, Ben noted sullenly, he would have control over _everything_. He would the Sultan in mere weeks – and he'd have to have a Queen on his arm.

'It's what Grandpa would've wanted me to do' Ben would tell himself, thinking back on all the wonderful years he'd spent with his Grandfather. He had only been a child when his parents had been killed, and his Grandpa and (albeit sometimes naggy) cousin had been his support system. But Grandpa wasn't around anymore – it was up to Ben. Everything was up to Ben.

He suddenly heard a rustling, and he looked down. He nearly gasped as his eyes focused on what seemed to be a girl wearing commoner clothing with a cloth over her face. His green eyes met her dark brown ones, and for a second, he felt his heart stop. Was it from shock? Or maybe fear?

For some reason, a reason he couldn't figure out, those eyes held him.

She broke their stare by sprinting off, and after a second or two, Ben realized what had happened. "Hey, wait! Wait!" he shouted after her, but it was no use. She was running away from him at top speed, and while he was on the balcony, she was long gone.

* * *

Julie continued to run, trying to calm the blood rushing to her face. For that one instant that they had locked eyes, she had felt her heart beating so fast she thought she might pass out. What did he think she was? A thief? A murderer?

It didn't matter now – she had to keep running. But even as she sprinted through the Palace gardens, the image of the Prince's eyes kept coming up in her mind. She couldn't think of anything but his confused face as they stared at one another.

She was so entranced in his face that she didn't even realize that she had run right by a group of guards, who had noticed her presence and were now shouting after her. Their cries for her to cease bolted Julie out her thoughts, and she slowed down a bit. Before she knew it, a guard had grabbed her arm and another had wrestled her to the ground.

"Ow!" she cried out as a guard twisted her arm behind her back.

"Don't you know that trespassing on the Palace Grounds is against the law?!" a guard barked, spitting in her face. "What were you doing out here?! Were you out to steal something? Or assassinate the future Sultan—?!"

"No!" Julie shouted, for some reason, very angry at the thought that she would want to kill the sweet Prince she had just laid eyes on. "I-I just wanted to steal something – my family's hungry and—"

"A likely story," a guard scoffed. "A night in the palace dungeon out to teach you some respect!"

"We should probably see the Prince – tell him what's happened," a guard offered, and Julie's eyes widened. For some reason, she didn't want the Prince to see her like she was now – a common thief. She started to understand what Kevin felt like – she was nothing compared to the Prince.

"Do you realize how late it is?!" another guard barked. "The Prince is hopefully asleep by now, and the last thing he needs to be bothered with is some common thief."

"Then what do we do?"

"We'll take her to Hex," the guard said gruffly. "That old freako is awake all hours of the night."

The guards murmured in agreement and Julie felt herself being dragged off, her arms still being held behind her back by a muscled guard. She sighed, but smiled inwardly. So far, her plan had certainly worked. Tomorrow, there would be an announcement of her imprisonment – a public search for anyone who would come and beg for mercy upon her. And Kevin would hear it and be _forced_ to come to the palace.

But who was this Hex guy?

* * *

Ben blinked once again, almost unable to believe the sight he had seen only two minutes ago. Had that been a girl running through his gardens, staring up at his balcony? What was she doing here? Trying to steal something? She did look rather common – and old brown peasant dress with a hood and mask, along with no shoes and dirty feet. He sighed – poverty was certainly a problem in the kingdom – one he would probably be asked to solve.

But he couldn't think upon his responsibilities when that girl invaded his mind. He was no closer to an answer on who she was or what she had been doing on the Palace grounds. Then again, he had been rather stressed all week. All month, more like. Maybe he had thought so much about finding a girl for himself that he was starting to _see_ girls everywhere he went.

He smiled to himself at that and retreated towards his large bed, stretching and getting ready for a good night's sleep. He flopped down on the welcome softness and immediately felt his mind wandering towards sleep.

He smiled once again as his mind fell upon the eyes of the mysterious "girl" he had "seen" outside his window. Even if she was just an illusion, she had beautiful eyes.

* * *

"Grand Vizier! We have something we need advice on!"

"What now?!" Hex barked, spinning on his heel and glaring at the guards. "I was just about to go to sleep." Charmcaster and he were standing in his dungeon, just having said goodnight to Mike minutes earlier.

"With all due respect your Excellency," the Guard muttered rather sardonically, "we've found a thief wandering outside the palace." The burly guard that was holding Julie pushed her forward, and Hex frowned.

"This is none of my concern!" he spat, angrier at the guards than he was at Julie. "Throw her in the dungeon! Send out the petition tomorrow – this is _not_ my responsibility! If these things were left up to me, I would _skewer_ every lousy thief I found!" he said the last part through gritted teeth, causing Julie to shiver. Hex was even scarier than she imagined.

"O-Of course, right away!" the guard nodded, obviously taken aback by Hex's belligerence. "Sorry to have bothered you your Excellency!"

Julie felt herself being dragged along again. The guards exited the creepy dungeon room of Hex and continued down the stone stairs towards the rest of the dungeon. They finally came to a cell, and before Julie knew what was happening, she had been thrown inside. The cell door shut with a sickening "clang", and the guards left her alone in the cold, dark cell.

"It's just one night," Julie murmured to herself, huddling up for warmth. "And it'll all be worth it tomorrow."

* * *

Kevin walked through the streets of the marketplace the next morning, in a sullen mood as usual. He had yet to find breakfast – for some reason, he had lost his appetite.

"Attention! Attention!"

Kevin's ears perked up as he heard someone shouting in the main square. He turned the corner of the street and saw a royal attendant with a large scroll standing in the market square, shouting to the crowd around him. "Last night, the Royal Palace Guards apprehended a thief on Palace Grounds! A young woman, with hair the color of charcoal and eyes—"

"Oh for crying out loud!" Kevin moaned, slamming his head against his palm. "Juliiieeee…"

"If there is anyone who wishes to plead for mercy upon this prisoner," the attendant continued, "let them speak up now, lest she be sentenced!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kevin sighed, walking forward and pushing his way through the crowd. "I'll do it!"

"Who might you be in relation to the prisoner?" the attendant asked, staring down his nose at Kevin.

"I think I'm her friend," Kevin muttered. "But after this, I'm not so sure."

"Right then," the attendant nodded. "Follow me. You will state your case in the presence of the Prince and Princess!"

Kevin's eyes widened as he realized just what the attendant had said. He didn't know why he was so surprised. After all, this had been Julie's plan all along. But the realization that he was about to see Ben and Gwen again had hit home – and it excited him. What would he say to them? Would they recognize him? Probably not – he had definitely changed over the past five years. But if they did recognize him…

Well, what would they say? "Nice to see you" or "get out of our sight filthy little thief"? They certainly weren't stuck up when he had met them years ago, but five years of royal living could change a person. Still, he doubted they would be pompous royals – they didn't strike him as that type.

He tried to imagine what they would look like. He laughed at the idea of Ben having the same unkempt hair and huge eyes, not to mention skinny little arms. As for Gwen…well…he didn't laugh at that image. He imagined her tall and beautiful, with her red hair long, falling down her back in gorgeous waves. Her green eyes would look at him with the same intensity that they did five years ago. As for her body…

Well, he hoped she'd grown up. He wouldn't say anything more than that.

The attendant and he reached the palace gates after what seemed like an hour of walking, and the huge doors opened up to greet them. "Stay close, and don't let your fingers wander," the attendant warned him, and Kevin glared at the attendant. The attendant didn't pay his look any mind and led him up to the main doors of the palace.

Kevin looked around, taking the up-close sight of the palace in. It was even more beautiful than it looked from his window.

The doors were coming ever closer, and his heart began to beat faster. He was about to see her – the one thing he had wanted was coming to him.

* * *

"What are the odds?"

The one thing he had wanted was coming to him.

"Hey Mike!" Mike turned around to see none other than Charmcaster standing on his balcony behind him. "Uncle wanted—"

"Charmcaster, tell your Uncle to meet me in his…quarters…" he used the term lightly, "in fifteen minutes. I have huge news." Mike tried not to smirk as he looked down from the view on his balcony at the street rat that was being led up to the palace doors. "Our diamond's fallen right into our laps."

* * *

"So where are the Prince and the Princess?" Kevin asked as he was led into the main hall of the Palace. It was, as was everything else in the palace, lavish and gorgeous. But it was also empty – no Ben or Gwen to be seen.

"They'll be arriving shortly," the attendant snapped. "And you'll stand here with me, _silently_, until they do."

"All right, all right," Kevin sighed, savoring the feel of the cold, expensive marble underneath his bare feet.

"No need to wait."

Kevin and the attendant turned to see none other than Mike walking towards them. He had hurried down from his quarters to meet Kevin in the main hall. Kevin frowned at the overly handsome blond walking towards them. Something about him didn't sit well with Kevin. "After all, you won't be seeing the Prince and the Princess."

"What?" Kevin asked, stepping forward. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm the Grand Vizier, Michael Morningstar," Mike said darkly. "And you're a notorious thief that has terrorized the people long enough!"

"Wh-what?!" Kevin asked, stepping forward. "I came here to ask for mercy on my friend!"

"A plea for mercy from a thief isn't worth anything!" Mike remarked, snapping his fingers. "Guards! Seize him and throw him in the dungeon with his friend! The city's better off without him on the streets!"

"Wait a minu—" Kevin began, but he couldn't finish before a whole swarm of guards grabbed him and forced his arms behind his back. "Morningstar!" he shouted, trying to get at the smirking blond before the guards dragged him away.

"What a brute," Mike observed, still smirking. "The Cave of Wonders has awful taste."

* * *

"What's this about Morningstar?" Hex asked as Mike entered his dungeon again. "Have you really found him?"

"I've done better than find him, Hex," Mike remarked. "I've captured him. He's in the dungeon as we speak."

"Luck's on our side!" Charmcaster remarked, smiling widely. "What are the chances of the Diamond in the Rough just waltzing on up to the palace?"

"Luck or fate," Mike continued, "it doesn't matter. All we have to do is convince him to help us."

"How do you plan to do that?" Hex asked. "I doubt he'll want to help you after you've thrown him in the dungeon."

"That's your job Hex," Mike told him. "I've got him captured, now it's your turn to help out. Fifty-fifty remember?"

"Fine," Hex smirked. "That'll be easy enough. I'm sure the whelp can be easily persuaded."

"Well then," Mike smiled and walked out of the room swiftly, "get to it."

* * *

Julie sat, still alone, in her tiny dungeon room, playing with her thumbs. She hadn't slept very well on the hard stone floor, but despite her exhaustion, she was strangely alert. After all, by now, Kevin was probably already at the palace. She smiled, wondering if he had already met the Prince and Princess again. She wished she could have been there for the reunion.

Her cheeks tinged a little pink as she realized something: Kevin and the Princess were involved…where did that leave her and the Prince? Would Kevin introduce her to him?

"_Julie, man, I owe you everything! We're going to get married after all!" Kevin would say, throwing his arm around Gwen (who Julie could only imagine). _

"_I-I just did it because we're friends," Julie would say, her eyes still on the handsome Prince (who was, in her fantasy, still in his chest-baring pajamas.)_

"_You've given my cousin such happiness," the Prince would say, walking up to Julie and taking her hands in his own. "Maybe…I could return the favor."_

Julie stopped herself.

"Okay. That's just _dumb_," she conceded, sighing.

Suddenly, Julie was brought out of her (rather silly) fantasy by the sound of grunts and curses, along with many sets of feet walking down the stone steps towards the dungeons. She gasped as she saw the palace guards come into view, a prisoner in their grasp: Kevin.

They threw her cell door open and tossed Kevin inside before unceremoniously slamming it again. "Kevin?!" Julie asked incredulously. "Wh-what happened?! He came here to beg for mercy on me, right?! Why's he in the dungeon? He hasn't done anything wrong!"

"The Grand Vizier, Morningstar, ordered us to throw him in here," the Captain of the Guards responded sourly. "He's a thief and a nuisance to society. The less of you rats there are on the streets, the better."

"Wait!" Julie shouted, grabbing her cell bars as the guards began to walk away from them. "This isn't right! Where's the Prince and the Princess?! I demand to see the Prince—"

"You're in no position to be making demands, filthy little thief!" the final guard laughed before pushing Julie back through the bars, making her fall to the ground right on her rear. He and the rest of the guards laughed as they walked out of sight, leaving Kevin and Julie alone.

"_Wow_," Kevin said, his voice dripping with that familiar sarcasm that, at the moment, was driving Julie insane. "_That_ worked fabulously!"

"This isn't right!" Julie insisted, standing up and throwing her hands in the air. "The Prince and Princess would never have allowed this!"

"It doesn't really matter what they would allowed, I'm stuck in here for _nothing_!" Kevin shouted, standing up to stare Julie in the face. "And now we're _both_ screwed!"

"No!" Julie shook his head. "They wouldn't do this! He—" she stopped and turned to face the cell bars, touching her fingers to them and softening her voice considerably, "_he_ wouldn't do this…"

"He?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Th-the Prince," Julie said.

"Ben?" Julie nodded, and Kevin crossed his arms. "How should you know what Ben's like?"

"I…I sorta saw him last night," Julie spat out, embarrassed. "When I snuck in."

"No kidding?" Kevin asked, interested. "What's he look like? He grow up well?"

_Very_, though Julie, but she contained that comment. "Well…short brown hair, green eyes – magically green – so deep and—" she wanted to say 'gorgeous' but left that part out for fear of Kevin's teasing and her own embarrassment, "well…he's not as tall as you—"

"Ha!" Kevin laughed triumphantly.

"But…he's got things you haven't got!" Julie reminded him, "Like really clear skin and nice clothes and his chest—"

"Chest?" Kevin stopped her, and Julie's eyes widened.

"I said," she corrected, "his…his _best_ feature is the way he looks off at the sky when he's thinking." She felt that same warm feeling warming up in her chest, and she smiled as his image flashed in front of her mind's eye again.

Kevin couldn't help it – even though he was currently in _jail_, probably about to be executed, he cracked a smirk. "Julie and Ben, sitting in a tree!"

"Wh-what?!"

"The way he looks at the sky!" Kevin imitated Julie in a high-pitched, falsetto voice, "and his sexy chest!"

"I-I didn't say that!" Julie blushed.

"What was he doing, changing?!" Kevin asked, enjoying this far too much. "You peeping tom! You totally watched him change, didn't you?!"

"Oh shut up Kevin!"

"So that's why they put you in here! Watching the strip show without paying!"

"His top was open!"

"So you _did_ ogle at his chest!" Kevin announced triumphantly, and began to sing again, "Julie's got a boyfriend, Julie's got a boyfriend!"

"How _old_ are you?!" Julie frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest and sitting down. "It doesn't matter anyway…we're both stuck in here, remember?"

Kevin was brought out of his jovial, cruel teasing by Julie's recall of reality. Both of them were still in jail, nowhere near either Ben or Gwen. He sat down and sighed.

"Yeah…I guess we should think about a way to get out of this," Kevin agreed.

"If we could just see the Prince and Princess—"

"Even if we could…even if they got us out of here," Kevin conceded sadly, "they couldn't ever be more to us than friends. Even _that_ would be a stretch. They're royalty, remember? Have to marry other royalty."

"Oh, troubles of the heart? Perhaps I can help…"

Kevin and Julie turned their heads and suddenly saw, outside their cell, an old man with a wobbly cane and a large brown shawl staring at them, grinning. He looked hardly savory, a brown hood over his head, his eyes wide, his eyes yellow and piercing. "Who are you?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Name's are not important," the man waved his hand. "I couldn't help but overhear your…concerns. How would you like it if I could give you _wild_ treasures beyond your most fantastic dreams?"

"Treasures?" Kevin asked. "What's the catch?"

"What Kevin means," Julie interrupted, frowning at her friend, "is that we're not interested in money…that won't change us into royal—"

"Haven't you heard the saying?" the old man grinned, "he who has the gold makes the rules! The treasure I'm offering you could make you both the richest pair in the seven deserts."

"So why give it to us?" Kevin folded his arms.

"The treasures in a cave – a Cave of Wonders," the man said, eyes wide as dinner plates. "Filled to the brim with treasure – I only want one thing – a lamp."

"O…kay," Kevin nodded. "I'm listening."

"I need a young person to go in after it – someone strong, like you!" the man laughed. "And you have nothing to lose, do you?! Get me the lamp, and the rest of the treasure is yours."

Kevin looked at Julie, who was frowning and shaking her head at him. "Okay – but there's a problem," Kevin motioned to the cell, "we're kinda stuck in here."

"Oh this?" the old man laughed, and immediately pulled out a key and unlocked the cell, much to Kevin and Julie's surprise. "Child's play. Now come along – there's a secret exit at the lowest dungeon."

Kevin helped Julie up, and the two of them followed the sinister looking old man out of their cell and down the stone staircase. "I don't know about this," Julie whispered to Kevin, "can we trust him?"

"No," Kevin frowned, "But he's not asking us to trust him. He's asking us to help him."

* * *

There you have it! Chapter 3 is done! :3 Next chapter will be the Cave of Wonders, along with the revealing of the Genie! :D (People have been guessing who it'll be -- I'm not giving it away! XD)

I'd love a review, of course. :) I hope you all enjoyed it!


	4. You Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me

**Author's Notes**: Hey guys! I'm sorry this update has taken SO long. I've been insanely busy with school, so my fanfics have been pushed to the back burner. But as this has recently become my only active fanfic, I'm definitely going to try to update this more often. :) Thanks for everyone who's stuck with me! I hope you won't be disappointed!

* * *

Ben sighed as he walked into his room, taking off his turban and throwing it on his bed before doing the same with his body. He and Gwen had said goodbye to Edwin and Kai this morning, but he'd already received messages and letter from various other suitors announcing they were interested in meeting the Prince and Princess. It was an uphill battle, that was for sure.

Not to mention Mike and Hex had been missing nearly all day. Neither Gwen nor he could find either of them, and when they asked the guards where the two had gone, they had reported that the two were "out".

"What's the point of having advisors if they're never around to advise?" Ben muttered to himself, blinking his eyes shut. He knew he shouldn't fall asleep still fully dressed, but he was so exhausted, the idea sounded nice to him at the moment.

"Ben?" Gwen poked her head into his room, and Ben flipped over and sat up to face his cousin.

"Hey Gwen. What's up?"

"I'm just happy we finally have the palace to ourselves again," she smiled, sitting down next to Ben.

"Yeah, I guess."

"What's wrong Ben?" Gwen asked, sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest. "You've been out of it all day."

Ben's mind wandered back to the night before, when he had caught a glimpse of that mysterious hooded girl in the gardens. He hadn't told Gwen about the sighting – after all, hadn't he decided that it had been nothing but a passing fantasy? He hadn't seen her around the palace since then. All the evidence pointed to her being some sort of illusion. In that case, he supposed it was harmless to mention it to his cousin.

"It's weird," he muttered. "I…last night I imagined I saw this girl in the gardens below my balcony."

"A girl?" Gwen asked.

"After you left, I went out there just to get some air," he told her, "and I could've sworn I saw a girl with a hood. But she just ran away…I think I imagined her."

"That's a pretty specific fantasy," Gwen reasoned. "It might be some sort of sign."

"A sign?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe your dream girl is coming soon after all!" Gwen reasoned. "It _seems_ like she's running away from you now, but she'll come back sooner or later."

"I thought we established this girl wasn't even _real_," Ben reminded her, and Gwen shrugged.

"You should be happy for any kind of sign," she laughed. "I haven't seen anything…"

"Well, if she _was_ real," Ben muttered, laying back down on his bed, "I wonder what she was doing. And where she is now…"

* * *

"A-Are they sure this is the right way?!"

Julie dug her face into Kevin's back, trying to shield her eyes from the oncoming sandstorm that was raging. Kevin was riding on a loaned black stallion, squinting through the wind as they rode slowly through the desert. It seemed like days since they had escaped the palace dungeon with the mysterious old man, but it had only been a few hours. The torrential sandstorm wasn't helping their journey – Kevin could barely see the old man riding in front of them.

"Hey old timer!" Kevin shouted. "Are we almost there?!"

"Patience boy," the old man assured him, kicking the sides of his own horse to make it trot a bit faster. "Good things come to those who wait."

"The clichés are _not_ appreciated," Kevin muttered, kicking his horse as well.

"Where is he leading us?" Julie asked. "I don't see any caves around here. Just flat sand."

"There!" the old man called, pointing a long thin finger towards a huge sandy hill. He kicked his horse's sides even harder, spurring it on in a huge gallop.

"Finally, some answers!" Kevin shouted, turning his own horse and galloping off after the old man.

The two horses arrived at the huge hill and all three riders dismounted, all covering their faces from the sand storm as they stared on at the big hill. Kevin and Julie looked at each other, but the old man simply smiled and lifted his hand in the air.

Suddenly, the sandstorm began to die down, as if by magic, and the earth began to tremble slightly. Julie gasped and grabbed Kevin's arm as the sand beneath them began to shake and move, as if an earthquake were happening. Both looked up at the massive pile of sand, and saw, to their horror, that two glowing points had formed in the slowly growing hill.

The hill continued to form and take shape, writhing and changing as if it were alive. A bright line shone from the cave, illuminating the night and washing over the three travelers. Soon, the cave began to grow solid, taking the form of a huge tiger's head with an open mouth that could only be the cave the old man spoke of.

"This," the old man whispered, "is the Cave of Wonders…"

Kevin nearly fell over in shock. "Wh-what the…"

"_Only one may enter here! The diamond in the rough!_" the cave spoke, and Kevin and Julie both jumped nearly a foot. The old man, however, was unphased, and spun around to face Kevin.

"Go!" he snapped.

"B-b-but it-it-it was ta-ta-talking!" Kevin stammered, pointing at the cave. The old man simply rolled his eyes and pushed Kevin forward.

"Are you afraid?!"

"I'm not afraid of nothing!" Kevin insisted, flexing his muscles a little as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Julie rolled her eyes at Kevin's macho display of courage and bad grammar. He turned around to face the cave, his courage shrinking with every step.

"_Who dares approach the Cave of Wonders?!_" it shouted, and Kevin tensed up before answering.

"It…it's me. Umm…I mean…I'm Kevin—"

The Cave seemed to glare down at Kevin, then resumed its God-like speech. _"Touch nothing but the lamp!"_

"R-right…" Kevin murmured.

"Go get me the lamp!" the man insisted, pointing feverishly inside the cave. "The rest of the treasure is yours – but get me the lamp first!"

"Whatever old man," Kevin muttered, stepping inside the cave with a bit of trepidation. Still, nothing happened as he walked down the steps of the cave, so he assumed all was going well.

Kevin made his way down the huge spiral staircase, a bit worried about leaving Julie behind. Still, the old man seemed harmless, and Julie could more than take care of herself, so Kevin focused on finding the lamp that the old man wanted so badly.

Kevin walked down a hallway at the end of the staircase, seeing nothing that resembled a lamp or treasure of any kind. Torches on the walls lit the way, but it was still dim, and he had to squint to find his way around. He saw a light at the end of the hallway, and he walked briskly towards it.

As he kept walking towards the light, Kevin realized what was giving off the impressive shimmer.

Mountains and mountains of treasure.

"Holy Allah…" Kevin whispered, looking up at the piles and piles of gold in front of him. Gold was all over the cave, lining the walls, coins pouring out of vases and goblets – entire chairs and statues made of gold – even gold tapestries. Kevin realized that, at that moment, he was richer than the Sultan. So rich, in fact, he could probably buy ten times as many camels as that annoying Prince he'd seen in the parade. Make that twenty times as many! Hell – he could probably buy the snooty Prince's _entire kingdom_ with this much gold.

But Kevin resisted the urge to grab it all at once, remembering the warning the cave had so ominously given him. He simply walked through the hall, eyeing the treasure, trying not to salivate. Looking around, he noticed another hallway at the end of the chamber, and made his way towards it, not seeing a lamp anywhere in the mountains of gold.

However, as he made his way towards the hallway, he didn't notice something lying on the ground in front of him. In fact, he stepped right on it. Kevin didn't find this all that problematic, considering the thing he had just stepped on was a rug.

The rug, however, had other ideas.

"What the—OOF!" Kevin realized, a little too late, that the rug had literally pulled out from under him, causing him to fall face-first to the ground. He turned around to see just how had pulled out the rug, but saw no one.

Well, no one except a floating rug.

"Holy crap!" he shrieked, backing up a bit from the flying carpet. It looked at him disapprovingly (or, at least as disapprovingly as a carpet could look at someone), miffed that he had stepped on it so haphazardly. Kevin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "…A flying carpet?" he asked, cracking a smile. "No way! They actually exist!"

This carpet was especially interesting, in Kevin's mind. It was mostly green, with a distinct black stripe down the center, and black, silver, and green fringe of the edges. It was magical _and_ stylish. "Hey there. My name's Kevin," he said, putting out his hand. The carpet crossed its "arms", still mad at Kevin. "Hey, I'm sorry I stepped on you. But hey – I didn't mean it!" The carpet uncrossed its front tassels and turned to face Kevin. "Truce?"

The carpet put one of its black tassels in Kevin's hand and Kevin shook it. "You're pretty cool, man," Kevin grinned. "Hey, mind helping me out a bit?"

The carpet nodded in approval, and Kevin began to explain. "I'm looking for a lamp. Know where I could find it?" It seemed to nod vigorously, and before Kevin knew was going on, it had laid itself flat, as if gesturing Kevin to get on. Kevin smirked, hopping onto the carpet, surprised it could support his weight, but pleased all the same time. "Man. I could get used to this. This is a pretty sweet ride."

The carpet apparently heard Kevin and sped off quickly, pleased by the compliment. Kevin held onto the tassels, following the carpet's lead, but feeling as though he was already getting the hang of driving the thing.

Kevin looked around at the rest of the cave the carpet led him through. Piles of treasures, more and more valuable, popped up around him, until he was led into a strangely dark room with a huge staircase in the middle of a large pond. Kevin's eyes looked up the stairs and saw a pedestal holding the coveted lamp rested at the top. The carpet parked in front of the stairs, allowing Kevin to disembark. "Thanks, I owe you one," he smiled, and the carpet sat down on the ground, as if saying it would wait for Kevin. "Be right back."

Kevin put one bare foot on the first step, as if expecting something tumultuous to happen. But the silence of the room prevailed, and Kevin continued his long ascent up the stairs towards the glowing lamp. As he got closer, Kevin got a better look at the lamp, and realized, compared to the rest of the treasure, it wasn't much to look at. After what seemed like years of climbing, he reached the top and looked down at the pedestal holding the lamp. "Well…here goes nothing." He held his breath and grabbed the lamp quickly, as if expecting the entire cave to explode instantly. But nothing happened, and Kevin looked down at the lamp with curiosity. "Score," he smiled. "But man, this thing is a piece of junk. All this great stuff and he wants this thing?"

Kevin shrugged. "Oh well, more goodies for me." With that, he walked down the stairs, the lamp still in his hand. As he made his way down the steps, he noticed a statue in the near distance. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that it was in his line of vision, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

It was a statue of some deity or other, carved out of gold with a jeweled necklace and bright rubies for eyes. But what was remarkably beautiful about the statue were the fields of gold and jeweled flowers that surrounded the it.

Carpet lay on the ground lazily, bored of waiting for Kevin to finish up. It may have even dozed off, considering that Kevin walked straight past it towards the statue without Carpet so much as moving a tassel. His eyes were transfixed on the gorgeous statue in front of him, and as he got closer, his delight only grew.

The flowers, he noticed, were carved to resemble jasmine flowers, with jewels encrusted on every petal. The deity in the statue was holding on in its outstretched hand, and Kevin saw, to his joy, that it could be easily removed.

He thought back to Gwen, and how a flower like that would be a perfect gift for her – considering their history and all. He looked down at the lamp and shrugged. "No biggie if I just grab one little thing, right?" he smirked, and raised his hand up to grab the flower. Carpet heard Kevin and stirred, looking over and leaping into the air, racing towards him. But it was too late.

Kevin pulled out the flower and looked at it with admiration. But just as he did, the flower began to melt in his hand, and he gasped and tossed it to the ground.

"_FOOL! YOU HAVE TOUCHED THE FORBIDDEN TREASURE!_" Kevin heard the Cave of Wonders shriek and before he knew what was happening, the temperature of the cave had risen suddenly, and the entire statue in front of him was beginning to melt. He gasped and ran towards Carpet, looking for some sort of quick escape. _"NOW YOU SHALL NEVER LEAVE!"_

"Okay, that does NOT sound good!" Kevin shouted, spurring carpet on as the entire cave began to crumble and collapse. The stone floor broke apart, magma and lava bubbling up through cracks and dissolving the floor in its fiery heat. Carpet maneuvered above the magma down the hallway Kevin had come through, and Kevin saw, to his horror, that _all_ the treasure in the cave was melting and the walls were slowly caving in. It was official: the cave was out to get him.

"Go Carpet, go!" he screamed, and Carpet sped up, diving in and out of falling rocks, escaping dangerous precipices that were forming right in front of Kevin's eyes. Every movement was an escape from certain doom, and so far, Carpet was doing an excellent job of keeping them both alive.

Up and down they flew, dodging falling pillars and melting walls, until Kevin could just barely make out the mouth of the cave. The stairs had, of course, melted away, but Carpet's flying negated the need for stairs. "Up there!" he shouted, but Carpet hardly needed directions as it sped forward towards the mouth of the cave, rocks falling from the ceiling, threatening to close them in. "Come on, almost there!"

Carpet sped up even more, but in its hurry, it didn't notice the falling boulder above Kevin's head. The boulder barely missed Kevin, but knocked carpet out of the sky, sending Kevin sprawling forward. He just barely grabbed the edge of the cave's mouth, looking down to see where Carpet had gone.

"Give me the lamp!"

Kevin looked up to see the old man looming over him, his hand outstretched. "Pull me up first, dipstick!" Kevin shouted, reaching out his hand.

"Give me the lamp!" the man growled, and suddenly grabbed Julie. Julie tried to break free, but the old man proved surprisingly strong, and dangled her over the edge by the back of her dress. "Or I drop her!"

"You son of a—!" Kevin shouted, but the old man loosened his grip of Julie's dress causing her to drop slightly before he caught her again. Kevin cursed his breath and used his free hand to pass the lamp to the old man. The old man cackled maniacally. "Now pull us up!"

"Sorry my boy!" the man smirked widely. "But the diamond in the rough _belongs_ in the Cave of Wonders! For all eternity!" With that, the old man held out his hand; suddenly, his eyes glowed an eerie gold and Kevin suddenly felt a huge gust of wind hit him in the stomach, knocking his hands off the edge and causing him to fall backwards.

"KEVIN!" Julie shrieked, reaching out for him.

"You want to join him my dear?" the old man laughed. "Be my guest!"

Julie's head spun around, and she lashed out, causing the old man to jump and release the back of her dress. But instead of falling right away, Julie slammed her fist against the old man's jaw, and with her other hand, managed to knock the lamp out of his grasp. The lamp fell as she did, and she reached out and grabbed the handle as she fell into the darkness.

The Cave of Wonders began to dissolve, the mouth of the cave falling apart, and the glowing eyes of the tiger dimming. The old man screamed, "NO! NO!" But it was no use. The cave dissolved into nothing more than a pile of sand – never to be returned to.

"NO!" the old man screamed again, and in a huge flash of red and black light, his disguise disappeared, revealing him to be none other than Hex, who had fallen to his knees in the sand, cursing his luck and the two street rats that had stolen his lamp from him. "NOOOOO!"

* * *

It took an hour or so for Kevin and Julie to regain consciousness. They had both hit their heads pretty hard, but had somehow survived the fall into the now-blocked off cave. Kevin was the first to open his eyes, his head throbbing. "Ouch…" he muttered, barely able to stand up. He looked around, and noticed Carpet was next to him, still crushed under the rock, trying to pull free. "Carpet!" he said, excited that his friend hadn't been crushed into oblivion. He looked around feverishly for his female companion and saw none other than Julie lying a short distance away from him. "Julie!"

He ran over to the girl who was just beginning to stir herself and shook her shoulder. "Kevin…?" she muttered, opening her eyes. "Are we alive?"

"For a bit longer at least," he sighed, sitting down next to her as she sat up, rubbing her head. "I can't believe that guy! Stabbed us in the back!"

"We shouldn't have trusted him," Julie murmured. "If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is, right?"

"He's probably long gone with that lamp by now," he sighed, and Julie's eyebrows perked up. "What is it?"

Julie smiled and looked to her side. It was still there. She picked it up and showed it off to Kevin: the lamp she had swiped from the old man. "No way!" he laughed, smiling at her.

"I swiped it off him before he pushed me down," she told him. "I guess I've learned from the best."

"No kidding," Kevin smirked, taking the lamp from her and looking rather pleased with himself. "Way to go, Jules! Not that it'll help us much. But I get a certain satisfaction in knowing he's probably pretty sour right about now."

"It's so dirty," Julie muttered, looking at the musty copper lamp. "Why would he want it anyway?"

"Dunno," Kevin shrugged, and suddenly felt a poke on his shoulder. He turned around to see Carpet flying over him. "Oh, Julie this is—"

"A flying carpet?" she smiled widely. "Wow, cool!"

"Man Julie – doesn't _anything_ freak you out?"

"Nice to meet you," she smiled, shaking one of Carpet's tassels. Carpet seemed very pleased with Julie, as it wrapped itself around her in a sort-of hug, causing her to giggle. "He's friendly."

"Doubt he can help us get out of here," Kevin sighed, and Julie suddenly looked downcast. "We're trapped in here, aren't we?"

"W-we can't give up hope," Julie assured him, but he could tell her own hope was pretty slim. "There must be a way out of here."

Kevin looked down at the lamp again, and realized there was something inscribed on the metal. But the dirt covering the lamp was too thick – he couldn't make it out. "There's something written on here," he observed, and Julie nudged closer to Kevin in order to seed what he was talking about. "But it's too dusty – can't make it out…"

"Rub it or something," she said, and Kevin did as he was told, rubbing the lamp with his palm, trying to get off the smudges.

Suddenly, the lamp began to grow warm in his hands, and it jumped a little bit. Kevin and Julie both gasped, and Kevin dropped the lamp on the ground. But the effect had already taken over – it began to splurt and sputter, sparkling light popping out of it, a blue wind spiraling around it.

The top of the lamp popped off violently, and white smoke began to billow out of the lamp. Kevin and Julie squinted, trying to make out just what was emerging from the lamp, and as the smoke cleared, a figure began to become clearer.

"My goodness – I'm certainly stiff! But I suppose ten thousand years of captivity will do that to you."

Floating in front of Kevin and Julie was a very large man, tall and overbearing, with white smoke for legs. He had slicked back dark brown hair and a distinct hook nose. In his ears, he wore two small gold hoops. As for his clothes, he wore a white coat in which his hands were currently stuffed into the pockets of, and a high-collared white top with intricate gold trim. On his wrists were two gold shackles, and around his waist was a golden belt that separated his torso from his white smoky lower half.

He looked around the cave and frowned. "Well this is disappointing. I can't even find who summoned me."

"…wh-wh-wh-whaaaaatt…." Kevin stuttered, both him and Julie speechless. The giant being in front of them looked down and smiled.

"Oh good!" he said brightly, holding out his hand. With a "pop" and an explosion of white smoke, a giant paper bag appeared in his hand, and he offered it to the two of them. "Hello there Master – gumball?"

"WHAT ARE YOU?!" Kevin finally screamed, both him and Julie rising to their feet and backing away.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the strange man said, slapping his forehead, as if realizing a very obvious fact. "How ridiculous of me! I should've known you two wouldn't know much about this genie business."

"Genie?" Julie breathed, blinking a bit.

"My goodness!" the genie laughed, eyes now looking down at Carpet. "Is that Carpet? How are you friend? I have seen in you a couple millenniums!"

Carpet flew up and shook the genie's large hand before flying down to rejoin Kevin and Julie. The genie smiled at the two humans in front of him before snapping his fingers. With a familiar "pop" and a puff of white smoke, the genie had shrunk considerably and was now standing in front of Kevin and Julie – much closer to their size. His smoky bottom half had been replaced by a pair of normal human legs clad in a pair of white pants and gold slippers. "Nice to meet you Master," he said, putting out his hand for Kevin to shake. "I'm your Genie."

"Master?" Kevin asked, taking the hand cautiously and shaking it with no conviction. "You're a genie? Like…magical genie?"

"Of course, what other kind is there?" the genie cocked an eyebrow. "You rubbed my lamp, thus, I am your genie."

"What's your name?" Julie asked, stepping forward.

"Well, I don't actually _have_ one," he smiled mysteriously. "But I've been called a lot of things over the years."

"Are you…a person?" she asked.

"No. I'm really just a magical being. My entire existence is a bit of a paradox, to be quite honest."

"Paradox, huh?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, Mr. Paradox—"

"Oh, Paradox!" the genie gasped in delight. "That's wonderful! I do like _that_."

"Wait – I'm still confused here!" Kevin shouted. "What are you talking about? Who are you and what do you mean you're 'magical'?!"

"Well," Paradox smirked, and snapped his fingers again. In an instant, he had a board behind him and piece of chalk in his hand. Drawing feverishly on the board, he began to explain to the two, "I can tell you're not the sharpest master I've ever had, so I'll explain in terms you can understand."

"What'd you say--?" Kevin began, but Julie did him a favor and clamped her hand over his mouth.

"I—" Paradox explained, "will grant you any three wishes you want. It's part of my contract. Three and only three however. No wishing for more wishes. That's just cheating." He stepped back from the board to reveal a giant "3".

"Three wishes?" Julie asked, eyes wide. "_Any_ three?"

"Almost any three. There are of course, exceptions and restrictions," Paradox said, continuing to draw on the board. "I can't kill anyone. And really, when you think about it, it isn't that nice to begin with."

"I guess not," Julie smiled, removing her hand from an annoyed Kevin's mouth.

"I can't make anyone fall in love with anyone else," Paradox said, and both Julie and Kevin's shoulders fell a little in disappointment. "What do I look like? A dating service?"

"Whatever," Kevin muttered.

"And thirdly," Paradox said, "I can't bring anyone back from the dead. It goes against _all_ conventional laws of the universe."

"And _you_ don't?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And that's it!" Paradox smiled. "So Master – you may begin wishing at any time."

Kevin looked at Julie, and Julie looked back at Kevin. The two read each other's eyes, as if trying to figure out what to do next. Kevin suddenly smirked, glancing over at Paradox. "You're kidding right?"

"No, young man, I'm not," Paradox smirked, magically popping a recliner in front of him and settling down in it. "Anything you want."

"I dunno, your powers seem kinda lame," Kevin announced rather harshly, and Paradox's eyes widened. "I mean, you can't really _do_ anything."

"Young man – I can do plenty of things—"

"Yeah, like make blackboards and armchairs?" Kevin joked, causing Paradox to frown nastily at him. "So yeah, if my butt hurts, you'll be the go-to guy."

"I do not respond well to sarcasm," Paradox muttered.

"You can't even bring people back from the dead!" Kevin laughed. "I bet you can't do anything really important."

"I might surprise you, _Master_," Paradox snapped, but Kevin held his gaze.

"C'mon Julie," he said, turning around to his black-haired companion, who, at the moment, was looking rather confused. "Let's go. I bet this guy can't even help us get out of this cave."

"HAH!" Paradox let out a shrill, sharp laugh. "You must be joking me my boy! Getting you out of this cave is child's play!"

"Well I'm not playing around," Kevin shrugged. "So you magic or not?"

"Come along!" Paradox snapped his fingers, and the next thing Kevin and Julie knew, they were seated comfortably on Carpet, Paradox sitting in front of them. "We're flying out of here. Maybe your nasty attitude has something to do with oxygen deprivation."

Kevin and Julie held onto the sides of Carpet as they felt Paradox revving it up. With a huge explosion of white smoke, Carpet sped off at break-neck speeds towards the ceiling of the cave, Paradox smirking confidently as they hurdled closer and closer towards being smashed against the wall.

With a huge "POP" and a burst of white smoke, they evaporated through the cave ceiling and out into the open air, flying through the night sky across the deserts.

* * *

"GARRRR!!"

"Uncle?!" Charmcaster gasped as her Uncle kicked the door of his lair open. Charmcaster was standing next to Mike, Mike's hand on hers, as if reassuring her. "O-Oh! Mike was just telling me how you'd be sure to be home with the lamp soon—"

"GAARRR!" he screamed again, kicking over his cauldron violently, causing the liquid inside to spill all over the floor, burning the stone with its acidity. Mike and Charmcaster moved away from the liquid. "THOSE INGRATES STOLE THE LAMP FROM ME!"

"You _lost_ the lamp?!" Mike asked, losing his cool – a rare event. He was shouting at Hex. "How could you have _lost_ the lamp?!"

"It's buried along with them out in the desert, Morningstar!" he snapped. "They're both dead though. They couldn't have survived that fall. It's the only thing I can take comfort in…"

"What are we supposed to do _now_?!" Mike snarled. "I was counting on that lamp, Hex!"

"Well," Hex muttered. "I don't see why you can't still marry the Princess. All we have to do is keep her from marrying some other brat of a Prince."

Mike frowned, regaining his composure. "I suppose you're correct. Gwen can still be mine – all we have to do is stop her from marrying anyone else. As for you…"

"My magic should be enough to suffice," Hex smirked. "It might not have the ultimate power of a genie's…but I can do away with that brat of a Sultan myself."

"I suppose the plan isn't a total loss without the lamp," Mike reasoned, making his way towards the door. "The mark of a great leader is his ability to bend in times of need, isn't that right Hex?"

"We can work around this difficulty…" Hex smirked. "This kingdom will be mine."

"Glad to know we're still in business," Mike smiled before exiting the door and making his way up the stone steps. As soon as he was out of Hex's sight however, his face darkened, his skin growing paler, eyes growing darker.

* * *

Someone guessed that Paradox would be the genie and congrats! You were right! But another "character" made an appearance in this chapter. Anyone know which one? XD

I just LOVE writing Paradox, so I definitely had to put him in this fic. I think he's pretty "genie"ish with his powers. Next chapter will be Kevin and Julie's Princely debut! Be sure to review!


	5. Part of Your World

**Author's Notes: **Hey guys! Thanks for being patient again! Here's the next chapter. It's shorter than the previous chapters, but I assumed you guys would like a faster update instead of a longer chapter later. :)

Hey, speaking of updates, I've been getting PMs that are basically telling me to update, or asking me when I'm going to update. I'm really happy you guys like the story, but these PMs really don't encourage me to write more. :( In fact, they kinda discourage me because it makes me see writing as a chore. So please just be patient and don't send messages telling me to update! Thanks!

For those of you who guessed that Kevin's car is the other "character" that was introduced last chapter, congrats! You're right! As for those who guessed Darkstar...well, not yet. Mike's still all pretty in this fanfic. (So far at least...hmmm...) However, if you want to read some really GREAT Darkstar fanfiction, check out the "The 13 Days of Darkstar" by ChibiHime (author of some of my favorite fanfics, and the "must-read" fanfic for Gwevin fans: "Beneath the Layers".) :) It definitely deserves more reviews for its awesome.

Enough plugging other people's fanfics. XD Off to the story!

* * *

Once the carpet "popped!" outside the cavern, Kevin and Julie saw that it was already daytime. In the time they had been knocked out down in the Cave of Wonders, dawn had already broken, the sun high in sky, illuminating a bright mid-morning. They both covered their eyes from the brightness as they kept riding, Paradox sitting in front rather calmly, painting on a canvas he had conjured whilst they were flying. "I hate being idle," he admitted, sighing. "But I also hate waiting—thus!" With a flick of his hand and a poof of white smoke, Paradox disappeared. Kevin and Julie looked around frantically until they realized Paradox had popped himself inside the painting, posed elegantly on a couch, wearing a toga and eating grapes. "What do you think?" he asked from inside the picture. "A masterpiece?"

"More like a master-freak," Kevin muttered, rolling his eyes.

"I heard that!" Paradox snapped, and with a puff of white smoke, the painting disappeared and he was sitting back on the carpet. "I'd like to remind you to be a little more careful with your words, Master. You never know – I might decide not to grant you your last two wishes!"

"Two wishes?" Kevin smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean three, right?"

Paradox let out a sharp laugh and spun his head around to face them, causing Kevin to grimace and Julie to smile. "I'm sorry! Have you really forgotten about our escape? It was only a few minutes ago! That was my doing—"

"Uh, uh, uh!" Kevin interrupted him, waving his finger. "I never actually wished to get out of the cave. You just did that on your own, remember?"

"Well I never—" Paradox began to speak, but stopped, realizing Kevin was right. He frowned, and to Kevin's horror, moved his hand up his head and opened it right up, revealing his brain. He poked around inside until he pulled out a screen of some sort. On the screen, the scene that had just gone on between the three in the Cave of Wonders was playing.

"_C'mon Julie," he said, turning around to his black-haired companion, who, at the moment, was looking rather confused. "Let's go. I bet this guy can't even help us get out of this cave."_

"_HAH!" Paradox let out a shrill, sharp laugh. "You must be joking me my boy! Getting you out of this cave is child's play!"_

"_Well I'm not playing around," Kevin shrugged. "So you magic or not?"_

"_Come along!" Paradox snapped his fingers, and the next thing Kevin and Julie knew, they were seated comfortably on Carpet, Paradox sitting in front of them. "We're flying out of here. Maybe your nasty attitude has something to do with oxygen deprivation."_

"…My goodness, I've been duped!" Paradox sighed, taking the video screen and shoving it rather haphazardly back into his head. He shut his skull, and sighed. "Fine! But it won't happen again, I assure you! I'm not so easily tricked the second time!"

"So I still go three wishes," Kevin smiled to himself.

"What are you gonna wish for?" Julie asked, excited. "A mansion? All the gold in the Seven Deserts?" she fingered his long greasy hair. "A new haircut?"

"Hey, I like my hair!" he frowned. "Who do you think I am, a prince—?" Kevin stopped mid-sentence, his eyes wide. Suddenly, his face broke out into a smile, and Julie frowned, confused. "Julie, that's it!"

"What's 'it'?" she asked.

"My wish! Well, my first wish," Kevin smirked. "Think about it – it would solve all our problems!"

"What would solve all our problems?" Julie asked.

"Well I think removing your mouth would solve a majority of the problems you have," Paradox remarked at Kevin, who only shot him a nasty glare. "Just a friendly suggestion!"

"No, smart guy," Kevin snapped. "Julie…what if I was a Prince?"

"What?" Julie asked, her eyes wide. "You want to wish to be a Prince?"

"Think about it!" he laughed. "If we were royalty, we wouldn't have to put up with the crap we get all the time for being poor! We'd be living the high life! Everyone would _have_ to respect us and—"

"Oh I see," Paradox sighed, and Kevin stopped mid-sentence. Paradox almost seemed disappointed. "You're just like all the others, then."

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked.

"They all wished for the same three things," Paradox said sourly. "Money." He snapped his fingers and a huge bag of gold fell into Kevin's lap. "Power." Another snap, and Kevin had a crown on his head and a goofy looking scepter in his hand. "And women." One more snap, and two gorgeous babes were throwing themselves all over Kevin, running their fingers through his hair and hugging his waist. Julie frowned, but Kevin looked quite pleased with the situation.

Paradox snapped his fingers again, and all of it disappeared, leaving Kevin rather disappointed. "Really, after ten million years of eternal genie servitude, it gets _boring_," Paradox said.

"Ten million years?" Julie asked. "Seems like a long time."

"You don't know the half of it," he sighed. "Not to mention that I've never gotten to use my magic to make _myself_ happy. Doesn't really come in the contract. I have the greatest powers in the universe," he said, "and absolutely no freedom."

"That's awful," Julie frowned, and even Kevin looked a little disturbed by that. "Isn't there anyway you could stop granting wishes?"

"_After_ I make _my_ three wishes, of course!" Kevin interrupted, only to be elbowed in the gut by Julie. "Ouch! Hey!"

"The only way I could be free," Paradox said sadly, "is if my master were to _wish_ me free. And, well, considering what I just told you about all of my previous masters…it's never happened." He glanced over at Kevin. "Doubt it ever will. It just isn't in human nature."

Julie looked at Kevin, and Kevin looked back at her, shrugging as if to say, "sucks for him, what can I do?". She narrowed her eyes. "Umm…could you give us a minute?" she asked Paradox.

"Of course!" he smiled. He obviously liked Julie far more than Kevin. With a snap of his fingers, Paradox had conjured up a pair of gigantic earplugs and had stuffed them into his ears. Julie smiled a little and turned to Kevin. "You should use your last wish to free Paradox!" she whispered, trying to keep their conversation a secret from the genie.

"No way!" Kevin rasped back. "Those are _my_ wishes!"

"Do you really _need_ three?!" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Umm…yes!" Kevin said, a "duh" connotation to his tone. "Look, being a Prince is just the start of it! I could wish for loads—"

"I never knew you were so greedy Kevin!" Julie shot back.

"Look, I've had _nothing_ my entire life!" Kevin snapped. "And now the second I have an opportunity to get something _I _want, you're calling me greedy?!"

"Who's got more at stake here?" she asked. "You or Paradox?! What do you even want to spend that third wish on? Is it more important than freedom from eternal servitude?"

Kevin frowned. "I don't know what I'd use it on…yet! But what if I really need it?"

"I'm disappointed in you Kevin," Julie said, turning away from him. "You're better off not even going to the palace to meet Princess Gwen. She probably wouldn't want anything to do with a cruel, selfish, greedy, cold-hearted person like you!"

Kevin frowned at Julie's back, which was turned to him. He was a bit angry, but at his core, he knew Julie was right. Grumbling, he muttered under his breath, "Okay…I'll do it."

"What was that?" she asked. "Speak louder!"

"I said I'll do it!" he said, and Paradox turned around, taking out of one of his gigantic earplugs to listen in.

"Do what?" she asked, looking at her nails.

"I'll use my third wish to free Paradox!" he shouted, and Paradox's eyes widened. "I mean…"

"I knew you weren't as bad as you looked!" Paradox gasped, his earplugs disappearing in a puff of smoke. He conjured up a bunch of party poppers that went off sporadically, raining confetti all over the three of them. "Kevin, was it?! Kevin, my dear boy, I take back everything I ever said about you! This is happiest day of my perpetual existence!"

"W-Wait!" Kevin stopped him. "I'm only freeing you after I get my first two wishes, okay?"

"Of course, of course!" Paradox nodded, still grinning from ear to ear. "Whatever you say, I'll make it happen! Oh, we should land, shouldn't we?" he smiled, noting an oasis was coming into view. "A little drink for our human companions, right Carpet?"

The carpet dived down to the oasis, parking right next to the pool of water. Kevin and Julie hopped off, Paradox himself conjuring up two armchairs for them to sit on. They took up the offer, Julie lowering herself into the pink plush one, Kevin sitting down on the other. "Now! It's time for wishing!" Paradox said gleefully, rubbing his hands together. "So what were you saying a Prince?" he asked, snapping his fingers and conjuring up another blackboard and a piece of chalk.

He began to draw, with lightning fast speed, a picture of a prince, with diagrams and labels all over it. Kevin and Julie's eyes widened as Paradox went off on his drawing. "W-Wait a minute!" Kevin stopped him.

"Master!" Paradox stopped drawing to reveal the drawing. The Prince was dressed in the proper robes, looking very regal and surrounding by adoring subjects. "We're going to have to get to work right away if you want to be a Prince! I'm going to have to conjure you up a whole kingdom to rule and—"

"I-I don't really need a Kingdom," Kevin said, and Paradox raised an eyebrow. "Truth is, I don't really want to rule anything."

"Forgive me, but I thought a Prince's job was to be monarch of a piece of territory otherwise known as a Kingdom," Paradox said, and with a puff of smoke, a huge dictionary appeared in his hand, a pair of reading glasses on his nose. "Yes, yes, I think I'm right."

"You see…the reason I want to be a Prince is…" Kevin trailed off a bit.

"Spit it out my dear boy!" Paradox smiled.

"There's…this girl," Kevin said, blushing a little.

"Hold it!" Paradox stopped him. "Remember, the rules? I can't make anyone fall in love with you, remember?"

"I know, I know," Kevin assured him. "But…she's a Princess…she has to marry a Prince. A guy like me couldn't even get in to see her. But…she's…"

"Beautiful?" Julie offered.

"Intelligent?" Paradox added.

"Everything you've ever wanted?!" they asked together, and Kevin nodded, albeit bashfully.

"And I just want to see her again!" Kevin insisted to Paradox, standing up from his chair. "Prove to her…and to everyone else…that I'm worth something. That I'm not just a trashy thief…like she probably thinks I am."

"Kevin…" Julie murmured, standing up and putting her hand on Kevin's shoulder.

Paradox smiled. "Well, then we'd better get started, shouldn't we?" Kevin's face broke out into a smile. "But you have to say the words! No more give-aways!"

"Wait!" Kevin stopped. "I need Julie to be a Princess too!"

Julie's eyes widened. "W-W-Wait a minute! What?!"

"You have to go in with me!" he told her. "I can't handle this by myself. And don't you want to see the Sexy-Chest-Prince-Ben again?" he teased, and Julie frowned, turning bright red.

"You!" she punched him in the arm, only causing him to laugh.

"I don't see that to be a problem," Paradox smiled. "Just say the word Master!"

"Paradox," Kevin smiled. "I wish for you to make me and Julie into royalty!"

"Fantastic!" Paradox laughed. "First of all, we're going to _have_ to do something about your wardrobe." He wrinkled his nose at Kevin and Julie's clothes, which they were now fingering self-consciously. "It does nothing for you, I promise. And you're going to need an entourage. Plenty of animals and tribute—"

"More than forty camels!" Kevin made sure to mention.

"Whatever you want!" Paradox smiled widely. "We're going full-force on this one! The Prince and Princess will be enamored of you right from the start, I assure you!"

Kevin smirked at Julie, and she returned a smile, obviously excited. "Well then!" he laughed, "What are we waiting for?"

* * *

"Aww man!" Ben sighed out his favorite phrase as he tried to put on the Sultan's royal turban. It took him at least three tries every morning – the thing just slipped off his head all too easily. "This is way too hard. Is it just me, or is it getting heavier every morning?"

He finally shoved the turban on his head until it stayed in place, and smiled, nodding at his mirror. "There!" he smiled. But his happiness evaporated as the feather fell in his face, causing him to blow it back up in place, with some difficulty. "This is annoying," he sighed.

"Having trouble with your royal headgear, Sultan of Dorks?" he heard his cousin playfully chide, and turned around to see Gwen standing in the doorway. While her teasing had subsided slightly as they'd grown up, the two still playfully made fun of each other from time to time.

"Gee, thanks," Ben smiled, finally putting the feather back in place. "There!"

"C'mon, let's enjoy our one day off from suitors," Gwen said. "I'm looking forward to some relaxation and—"

Gwen was cut off by the sound of blaring trumpets followed by the rhythmic beating of drums. She and Ben's eyes both widened – they had heard the sound too many times before.

Both rushed to Ben's balcony and stared towards the main street to see what they had feared – a Princely Parade prancing down the promenade.

"Awww man," Ben repeated, his feather falling in his face again. "I thought there were no suitors coming today!"

"No one told us they were coming today," Gwen said, frowning. "I guess this is a 'surprise visit'. Lucky us."

Meanwhile, down in the main hall, one Mike Morningstar was looking out the palace doors rather disapprovingly at the parade. "Funny," he murmured, "I don't remember any suitors coming today."

Hex and Charmcaster too heard the racket of the trumpets and drums. "Another suitor?" Hex muttered nastily, tossing what seemed to be a small animal into a sputtering cauldron brew. "How annoying."

"Well you and Mike said you'd chase the rest of them off, right?" Charmcaster said sourly, crossing her arms. "So you could take over the throne and Mike could…marry the Princess," she added, her tone even more sour.

"Very true, Charmcaster," Hex said, leaving the brew and walking towards the door of his dungeon quarters. "I suppose I should meet this suitor face to face…give him a taste of what he's in for."

With that, the two left the dungeon, walking up the stone cold steps to the main hall where the two suitors would soon be arriving.

* * *

"Can you get a good look?!"

"All that gold!"

"The Princess is beautiful! And the Prince is rather good-looking himself."

Sitting on top of a giant Elephant in a royal carriage were Kevin and Julie, dressed to impress in their finest royal garb. The Elephant walked perfectly down the street, impressing the peasants and causing them to gape in wonder. Kevin sat on a throne, Julie on a pillow down at his feet, both of them waving to the crowd.

"Make way, make way for his Royal Highness Prince Ethan and Her Royal Highness Princess Julianna!" a caller in front of the parade signaled. The caller was none other than Paradox, dressed in fine black and silver clothes, smirking at the crowd. Trailing shortly behind Paradox were at least a hundred dancers, baton-twirlers, and musicians. More than fifty camels carrying heavy sacks of gold trailed behind the giant elephant, and Kevin himself had a huge sack of gold coins he threw liberally at the locals. They scrambled for the money, bowing to him as they did.

Kevin looked very princely, wearing a predominantly black top with high curved shoulders and baggy sleeves. He wore black pants and black slippers to match the top, and every piece had silver trim along the edges, accentuated the lines of the outfit. His chest was embroidered with silver thread, and green gems were inlaid onto the fabric, shimmering every time he moved. His sleeve and pant cuffs were also inlaid with gems, and his black turban, sporting a tall white feather, had a large green jewel as a centerpiece. His hair had been washed and tied back into a ponytail in order to look a bit more refined.

Julie looked beautiful, wearing a predominantly pink outfit comprised of a pink off-the- shoulders belly shirt with long sleeves and white trim. Her pants were also pink to match her top, and she wore a string of pure white pearls around her waist and ankles. On her head was a beautiful pink headband dazzling with diamonds and pearls. The veil she wore over her nose and mouth was also a light shade of rose. She couldn't stop smiling as she did her best "Princess" wave to those below her.

"Make way, make way!" Paradox shouted again as they neared the palace.

Ben and Gwen were still looking out of Ben's balcony, mystified as the parade came closer and closer. "Oh, crud!" he gasped and turned around to leave quickly. "We have to go meet them!"

"I'm not going," Gwen said staunchly, and Ben stopped and turned around.

"What?!"

"This is rude," Gwen muttered. "Showing up, uninvited, without _any_ notice? This was supposed to be my day _away_ from all of this!" she was nearly shouting now, gesturing down at the lavish parade. "And _look_ at this! This is even worse than that spectacle Edwin brought along! This guy is the same as the rest of 'em…"

With that, Gwen turned on her heel and walked past Ben in an angry huff. "I'll be in my room. _Don't_ bother getting me. I'll come out when he's gone."

"Gwen, wait!" Ben called out to her, but it was no use. His cousin was gone. He sighed and adjusted his turban. He couldn't blame Gwen for her outburst. She was upset that at the surprise visit. And Ben couldn't help but agree with Gwen. The huge parade was not boding well for the suitors' humility.

Meanwhile, outside, the parade had finally reached the palace gates, and the guards had already opened up the main gate to let the Prince and Princess in. Kevin and Julie gracefully dismounted the elephant via Carpet, causing the guards' eyes to widen. Carpet set them both on the ground, and they walked up past the gates, Paradox following silently behind them.

"Can you believe this?" Kevin asked, grinning from ear to ear. "Two days ago, you had to sneak in here, and now we're waltzing through the front gate! It's good to be royalty."

"Uh huh," Julie sighed, a bit nervous. "What do I say? I don't even know what to say to him…"

"Just be yourself," Kevin shrugged.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I won't be myself," Kevin muttered. "That's the _last_ thing I want to be. If I tell them that I'm the street rat they met five years ago, they'll kick me out for sure…"

"You don't know that!" Julie said. "Didn't you say that Gwen liked you back then?"

"Yeah, but she's had five more years of fancy palace livin'!" Kevin argued. "She _wants_ a Prince. And I'm gonna give it to her. So while we're around other people, my name's 'Ethan', remember?"

"Fine," Julie sighed. "I guess you're right. We're royalty now…have to act the part, right?"

"This is where I take my leave Master!" Paradox said, and popped away in a white puff of smoke. Kevin took off his turban to reveal he was hiding the lamp within it. Paradox poked his now diminutive head out. "Break a leg!"

"Right," he nodded and put the turban back on as the two reached the front doors, which opened for them. Kevin frowned as he realized who was waiting for him.

"Welcome, welcome," Mike smiled, walking up to the two of them and bowing. "I'm Grand Vizier Michael Morningstar."

"This is the guy that locked me up!" Kevin whispered to Julie, and her eyes widened.

"We weren't expecting you two," Mike said, still feigning an air of politeness.

"Yeah, this was supposed to be a surprise!" Kevin said, walking inside the palace and past Mike.

"What were your names again?" Mike asked.

"Prince Ethan and Princess Julianna," Kevin smirked, flourishing the black cape he had on a little.

"And…where did you say you were from?" Mike asked, getting closer to Kevin – uncomfortably close.

"Really far away!" Julie covered. "Really far – much farther than you've traveled I'm sure."

"I'm quite worldly," Mike countered, still smiling. "Try me."

"These are the two rude little suitors who showed up unannounced?" a dark voice asked, and Kevin and Julie turned around to see none other than Hex walking towards them, Charmcaster behind him.

"I'm sorry for our rudeness," Julie said briefly. "It's just, we traveled from so far away…we didn't know we'd make such good time! We got here days before we thought we would!"

"Yeah, traffic was a breeze!" Kevin joked, but neither Mike nor Hex looked amused. "Right…umm…where are the Princess and Prince?"

"They should be arriving shortly," Mike said. "You must forgive them for not being ready right this moment, considering your sudden arrival."

"Of course!" Julie nodded. "We'll wait."

"What's that…thing?" Hex asked, frowning at Carpet.

"It's a flying carpet!" Kevin smiled at Carpet as it bounced around the room, flying about in order to impress the Viziers. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Where'd you get a thing like that?" Mike asked, curious, but more suspicious.

"Oh…from my Kingdom," Kevin shrugged. "My really, really, really far away Kingdom that you've never heard of."

"Charming," Hex muttered.

"I-I'm sorry I'm late!" a voice called out. The four of them turned around to see Ben running into the great Hall, out of breath. "Th-The suddenness…of your…arrival…" he kept panting, trying to regain his composure. "That is…you got here really fast."

"No prob, man!" Kevin laughed, happy to be seeing Ben once again. Julie was right – he'd grown up nice. Seemed a bit less rambunctious than before, more mature. Definitely taller, a little on the thin side, but he could see some definition underneath the white Sultan robes.

"You shall refer to his Highness by his proper title!" Hex snapped, and Kevin winced a bit.

"Sorry! I'm Prince Ethan," he said, taking care to accentuate his name. He bowed to Ben, who bowed back. "And this is Princess Julianna."

"Nice to meet y—" Ben looked up at Julie and stopped, struck by her beauty. She smiled shyly at him, and he smiled back. "Uhh…hi!"

"Hi," she responded, walking up to him and bowing. She was obviously more confident than he was, although she too felt her nerves jumping around a bit. "You can just call me Julie."

"Julie…right! I'm Ben!" he said, then realized his mistake. "Oh I mean…you probably already know who I am! Not that I think I'm that important or anything! Man, that sounded really arrogant, didn't it?! I mean—" he kept babbling, but Julie just smiled at him, thinking his stuttering to be endearing. "I mean…I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad I came too," she smiled.

"Do you…want to take a tour of the palace sometime?" he asked nervously.

"Sure," she smiled. "When?"

Ben stopped, eyes wide. "Umm…" He had no concrete answer to this question. He looked around for Gwen, but saw her nowhere.

"How about right now?" Kevin offered, pushing Julie a bit so she ran into Ben, causing them both to blush furiously. "We're not doing anything."

"Oh, oh right!" he nodded. "Now is good! Let's do it now! The tour that is!" he said, blushing even harder.

"So where's the Princess?" Kevin asked, trying to sound innocent. Ben's face fell.

"Gwen is…umm…feeling a bit under the weather!" he lied, hoping he'd sound convincing. "Yeah, she's not feeling so great. She's up in her room."

"Oh, maybe I could go visit her," Kevin said, flipping his ponytail a little, trying to look classy and heroic. "See if the Princess needs someone looking after her?"

'Bad idea,' thought Ben. "No, that's fine. You should probably just give her some time—"

"Prince," Kevin interrupted, his tone arrogant. "Give me five minutes with the Princess – she'll be feeling a _lot_ better, I promise you."

What Kevin didn't know was that Gwen was just fine. In fact, she had changed her mind about abandoning Ben to deal with the two suitors himself and had decided to come downstairs. At this very moment, she was standing in the doorway to the great hall, hearing Kevin shoot his mouth off in a cocky fashion.

"I've never met a woman who could resist me," Kevin smirked. "She'll succumb to my charms, I'm sure."

"Oh please!"

Kevin's blood stopped as he recognized the voice. He hadn't heard it in over five years, but it had the same quality. Smart, sophisticated, and with a touch of rebellion in it. Everyone turned around to see Gwen frowning at them. "You've got to be kidding me! I'll 'succumb to your charms'? Who do you think you are?!"

"I-I-I--!" Kevin began, but no words were coming out.

"I've seen so many arrogant Princes just like you!" she spat, walking up to Kevin and poking his chest. "What in the world makes you think that I'd marry _you_ after I rejected all of _them_?!"

"B-B-But--!" Kevin was at a quandary – why weren't words coming out of his mouth?!

"Actually, you're the worst so far!" she said, her words burning with hate. "I'd rather marry _all_ of them then even spend one more minute with _you_!" With that, Gwen spun on her heel and marched off, livid.

"Princess!" Kevin finally said, his ability to talk coming back to him. "Wait! I didn't mean--!"

"Oh don't take it too hard," Hex remarked mockingly. "She always abuses men she secretly finds attractive."

"Maybe your arrogance isn't such an irresistible trait after all," Mike surmised, smirking at Kevin. Kevin narrowed his eyes at him, but knew Mike was right. "Well, you'll be staying for a few days, I assume?" Mike asked. "Maybe you can earn back the Princess' regard. I doubt it however."

"Right…" Kevin mumbled. "Our rooms?"

"I'll take you to them," Ben said, shrugging. "Sorry about Gwen."

"S'okay," Kevin shrugged, sighing and lowering his head. "I kinda deserved it."

"Yeah, you kinda did," Julie frowned at him, and he sighed, walking off with her and Ben. Royalty wasn't working out for him as well as he'd imagined.

* * *

Short-ish chapter. But the next one will be better, I promise! We're getting to the super-shippy part of the fanfic soon!

I know some of you are wondering "Wait a minute, why didn't Mike recognize Kevin?" :x Why didn't Jafar recognize Aladdin? One of those things you just kinda have to accept. XD It's the ponytail! (PS, I would probably die from happiness if someone drew my Aladdinized-versions of the B10: AF characters. Especially Kevin. :)

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think!


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